r 


CONNECTIONS 

OF  THE 

ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN 

RAILWAY: 


Cincinnati-  - Ohio  & Mississippi  Railroad. 

Cincinnati Indianapolis  & Cincinnati  Railroad. 

Cincinnati Kentucky  Central  Railroad. 

Cincinnati.  Louisville  Steamers. 

Hamilton Eaton  & Hamilton  Railroad. 

Hamilton Indianapolis  Junction  Railroad. 

Dayton Indiana  Central  and  Dayton  & Western  Railroads. 

Dayton Dayton  & Toledo  Railroad. 

Dayton ....Sandusky,  Dayton  & Cincinnati  Railroad. 

Dayton Dayton  & Union  and  Xenia  & Belpre  Railroads. 

Urbana Sandusky,  Dayton  & Cincinnati  Railroad. 

Urbana Indianapolis  & Columbus  Railroad. 

Galion Bellefontaine  Railroad. 

Galion Cleveland,  Columbus  & Cincinnati  Railroad. 

Mansfield Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  & Chicago  Railroad. 

Mansfield Sandusky,  Mansfield  & Newark  Railroad. 

Akron Cleveland,  Zanesville  & Cincinnati  Railroad. 

Ravenna Cleveland  & Pittsburg  Railroad. 

Cleveland Cleveland  & Toledo  Railroad. 

Cleveland Cleveland,  Columbus  & Cincinnati  Railroad. 

’ eveland Detroit  Steamers. 

fittsburg  ..Cleveland  Branch  of  the  Atlantic  & Great  Western  Railroad, 

gburg  . .Mahoning  Branch  of  the  Atlantic  & Great  Western  Railroad. 

Erie  & Pittsburg  Railroad. 

. . Reno,  Pithole  & Oil  Creek  Railroad, 
ithole  & Oil  City  Railroad. 

klin  & Oil  City  Branch  of  Atlantic  & Great  Western  Railroad, 
k Railroad. 


& Erie  Railroad, 
ke  Steamer. 


Iniv.Qf'  ill.  Library 

53 

u>yt> 

-***  x-  - • ■ 

M LLULMW  l~TTTT “~“‘i  1 " l*— 


un  RARY 

ukiyershy  of  Illinois 

URSANi 


THE 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN 

RAILWAY. 

CONNECTIONS,  STATIONS,  DISTANCES,  MAP, 

&C.,  &C. 


©I)£  <®reat  ®t)rougl)  Route 

BETWEEN  THE  EAST  AND  WEST,  NORTHWEST,  SOUTH,  AND 

SOUTHWEST. 


NEW  YORK:  . 

DESIGNED  AND  COMPILED  BY  H.  H.  SIMMONS. 

1 8 6 6. 


/ 


Atlantic.  ani>  0rcat  tOestcrn  Hail  to  ay  Company 


T.  W.  Kennard,  Engineer-in-Chief,  New  York. 
McAndrew  & Wann,  Financial  Agents,  New  York. 

S.  S.  L’Hommedieu,  President,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

J.  J.  Shryock,  Vice  President,  Meadville,  Pennsylvania. 

J.  M.  Dick,  Treasurer,  Meadville,  Pennsylvania. 

J.  C.  Calhoun,  Secretary  and  Auditor,  Meadville,  Pennsylvania. 

D.  McLaren,  General  Superintendent,  Meadville,  Pennsylvania. 
J.  M.  Osborn,  General  Freight  Agent,  Meadville,  Pennsylvania. 

E.  F.  Fuller,  General  Ticket  Agent,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


The  line  of  road  known  as  the  Atlantic  and 
Great  Western  Railway  is  now  one  of  the  great 
through  routes  of  trade  and  travel  between  the 
East  and  the  West.  Although  it  is  not  quite 
six  years  sinctf  this  enterprise  was  commenced, 
there  are  now  507  miles  of  line  in  operation. 
The  rapid  progress  made  in  the  construction  of 
this  railway  has  never  been  surpassed.  A cor- 
rect history  of  the  undertaking  may  be  interest- 
ing to  the  friends  of  the  enterprise,  as  well  as  to 
the  great  traveling  public.  So  suddenly  has 
this  line  been  brought  into  operation,  that  very 
little  is  known  by  the  commercial  and  financial 
world  of  its  inception  and  progress.  We  there- 
fore propose  to  present  a history,  as  condensed 
as  possible,  of  the  small  local  railroad  projects 
which  have  in  so  short  a time  become  one  of 
the  most  prominent  and  influential  corporations 
in  America. 

The  Erie  and  New  York  City  Railroad. — In 
September,  1850,  a meeting  of  public-spirited 
citizens  was  held  at  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  to  dis- 
cuss the  project  of  building  abroad  from  the 
mouth  of  Little  Valley  Creek  (now  known  as 
Salamanca),  a point  on  ^he  Erie  Railway  414 
miles  from  New  York,  to  the  city  of  Erie,  Pa. 

The  attention  of  the  directors  of  the  New 
York  and  Erie  Railroad,  and  others  interested  in 
that  line  of  road,  had  been  frequently  called  to 
the  importance  of  extending  their  road  to  the 
harbor  of  Erie ; and  the  route  via  Randolph  and 
Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  was  represented  as  being  very 
feasible. 

Such  men  as  Hon.  B.  Chamberlain,  and  T. 
S.  Sheldon,  Esq.,  of  Randolph,  N.  Y. ; Col.  A. 
F.  Allen,  Samuel  Barrett,  Esq.,  William  Hall, 
Esq.,  Col.  Henry  Baker,  and  others,  of  James- 
town, N.  Y.,  well  known  in  Western  New  York 
for  their  energy  and  liberality  in  pushing  for- 
ward needed  public  improvements,  caused  sur- 
veys of  the  route  to  be  made  in  November  and 
December,  1850.  Nothing  farther  was  done  un- 
til July,  1851,  when  a company  with  the  above 
title  was  formally  organized,  and  in  March,  1 852, 
the  line  of  road  was  located.  In  May,  1853, 
the  whole  line  from  Salamanca  to  Ashville,  a 
distance  of  38  miles,  was  under  contract  for  con- 
struction, and  the  grading  progressing  favorably. 
On  account  of  financial  difficulties  the  work 
was  very  much  retarded  ; still,  the  grading  was 
pushed  along  with  considerable  energy  until 
January,  1855,  when  all  work  was  discontinued, 
the  means  of  the  company  having  become  ex- 
hausted. 


The  Meadville  Railroad. — In  July,  1857,  cer- 
tain citizens  of  Meadville,  Pa.,  organized  a rail- 
road company,  under  the  above  title,  to  con- 
struct a road  through  the  counties  of  Crawford 
and  Mercer,  Pa. 

Prominent  in  this  movement  we  find  such 
public-spirited  gentlemen  as  William  Reynolds, 
Esq.,  Gen.  John  Dick,  Hon.  G.  Church,  J.  J. 
Shryock,  Esq.,  Jas.  R.  Dick,  Esq.,  Hon.  D.  A. 
Finney,  and  others,  of  Meadville,  Pa. 

In  pursuance  of  the  powers  granted  this  com- 
pany in  their  charter,  a purchase  was  made  of 
all  the  property,  privileges,  rights,  aud  fran- 
chises of  the  Pittsburg  and  Erie  Railroad  Com- 
pany within  the  counties  above  mentioned, which 
embraced  the  line  of  proposed  road. 

The  usual  preliminary  proceedings  connected 
with  an  enterprise  of  this  kind  were  not  fully 
completed  until  some  time  in  the  year  1858, 
when,  for  a period  of  several  months,  very  little 
was  done  to  push  forward  this  great  public  work, 
which  the  rapidly-growing  business  of  North- 
western Pennsylvania  so  much  required. 

Franklin  and . Warren  Railroad. — A company 
was  organized  in  Ohio,  in  June,  1851,  to  build 
a road,  with  the  above  title,  from  Franklin, 
Portage  county,  to  Warren,  Trumbull  county, 
Ohio,  with  power  to  extend  said  road  to  a point 
in  the  eastern  line  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  north- 
east of  Wai'ren,  Trumbull  county,  and  south- 
westerly to  Dayton.  — 

Prominent  in  this  scheme  were  such  well- 
known  citizens  of  Ohio  as  Thos.  Earl,  Esq.,  Ze- 
nas  Kent,  Esq.,  Marvin  Kent,  Esq.,  of  Portage 
county;  L.  V.  Bierce,  Esq.,  D.  Upson,  Esq., 
of  Summit  county ; F.  Kinsman,  Esq.,  Hon.  R. 
P.  Ranney,  and  J.  W.  Tyler,  Esq.,  of  Trumbull 
county. 

In  1852  and  1853,  little  more  was  done  than 
to  complete  the  organization  of  the  company, 
securing  subscriptions  to  capital  stock,  etc.,  etc. 

In  July,  1853,  operations  were  actively  com- 
menced along  the  whole  line.  The  construc- 
tion, however,  was  retarded  from  its  commence- 
ment by  financial  and  other,  embarrassments  at- 
tending a work  of  this  magnitude. 

The  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  Railways. — 
During  the  summer  of  1852,  some  gentlemen  in 
Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  proposed  the  project  of 
continuing  the  broad  gauge  of  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  Railroad  through  Ohio,  Northwest- 
ern Pennsylvania,  and  Southwestern  New  York, 
to  connect  with  the  New  York  and  Erie  Rail- 
road. ^n  examination  of  the  country  for  a 


4 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


road  was  made,  when  it  was  found  that  the  best 
route  was  that  which  would  use  the  Erie  and 
New  York  City  Road  from  a point  east  of  the 
mouth  of  Little  Valley  Creek  to  near  Ashville, 
N.  Y.,  about  41  miles  from  the  above  starting- 
point,  and  about  8 miles  from  the  southern  line 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  thence  running  south- 
westwardly  through  Meadville,  Pa.,  Warren, 
Kent,  Akron,  and  Galion  to  Dayton,  O.,  a total 
distance  of  388  miles. 

This  grand  plan  for  a great  broad-gauge 
through  line  from  the  city  of  New  York  to  the 
city  of  St.  Louis,  1200  miles  in  length,  was  sub- 
mitted, in  November,  1856,  to  the  directors  of 
the  three  local  companies  above  referred  to,  and 
favorable  action  taken  thereon. 

In  September,  1854,  the  Franklin  and  War- 
ren Railroad  Company  availed  itself  of  the  pro- 
visions of  an  act  enacted  by  the  General  Assem- 
bly of  the  State  of  Ohio,  January  12, 1853,  au- 
thorizing incorporated  companies  to  change  their 
names,  and  adopted  the  name  of  “The  Atlantic 
and  Great  Western  Railroad  Company.” 

In  the  spring  of  1858,  the  Meadville  Rail- 
road Company,  by  authority  of  the  Legislature 
of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  changed  its  cor- 
porate name  to  “ The  Atlantic  and  Great  West- 
ern Railroad  Company  of  Pennsylvania.” 

In  the  month  of  May,  1859,  a company  was 
organized  in  the  State  of  New  York,  under  the 
name  of  “The  Atlantic  and  Great  Western 
Railroad  Company  in  New  York,”  which  pur- 
chased, in  1860,  of  the  before-mentioned  Erie 
and  New  York  City  Railroad  Company,  38 
miles  of  their  road,  being  that  portion  of  the 
line  in  the  State  of  NeAv  York  extending  from 
Salamanca  to  near  Ashville.  These  38  miles, 
with  11  miles  of  new  line,  make  up  the  entire 
ength  of  line  of  the  “Atlantic  and  Great 
Western  Railroad  Company  in  New  York”  in 
l he  State  of  New  York. 

This  uniformity  of  name  of  the  three  com- 
panies was  considered  essential,  as  it  was  in- 
tended to  work  the  entire  line  as  one,  in  so  far 
ns  it  could  be  done  by  contracts,  one  with  the 
other,  as  there  was  at  the  time  no  law  in  either 
of  the  respective  states  authorizing  a legal  con- 
solidation. 

Each  company  made  contracts  for  the  build- 
ing of  their  respective  roads:  the  companies 
in  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  with  Doolittle 
and  Streator,  and  the  company  in  Ohio  with 
Henry  Doolittle,  gentlemen  of  indomitable  en- 
ergy and  business  tact. 

The  history,  thus  far,  of  this  line  of  road  has 
been  hastily  sketched,  with  a view  to  make 
clear  to  the  interested  reader  how  the  present 
great  line  of  railway  became  a reality. 

Negotiations  were  commenced  in  Europe,  in 
the  fall  of  1858,  with  James  McHenry,  Esq., 
for  the  necessary  means  to  carry  on  the  work. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year,  at  the  instance  of  Mr. 
McHenry,  T.  W.  Kennard,  Esq.,  a civil  engi- 
neer of  prominence  in  England,  came  out  to 
make  an  exploration  of  the  entire  line.  He 
performed  his  work  most  thoroughly ; and, 


upon  the  receipt  of  his  report  by  Mr.  McHenry, 
preparations  were  made  for  actively  commenc- 
ing operations.  Mr.  Kennard  came  out  as  the 
agent  and  attorney  of  Mr.  McHenry,  and  also 
as  engineer-in-chief  of  the  whole  work. 

On  the  20th  day  of  April,  1860,  a corps  of 
engineers  commenced  their  labors  at  James- 
town, N.  Y.,  and  on  the  26th  day  of  the  same 
month  a second  corps  commenced  at  the  junc- 
tion with  the  New  York  and  Erie  Railroad  at 
Salamanca.  On  the  27th  the  contractors  com- 
menced grading,  and  May  8,  1860,  the  first  rail 
was  laid,  and  the  first  spike  driven.  During 
the  same  month  a construction  train  was  put  on 
the  work,  and  on  July  3d,  of  the  same  year,  17 
miles  of  track  was  laid  to  Randolph,  N.  Y. 
On  the  25th  day  of  August  following,  the  track 
was  laid  across  Main  Street,  in  the  village  of 
Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  34  miles  from  Salamanca; 
and  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day  an  excursion 
train  arrived  from  the  city  of  New  York,  con- 
taining the  chief  officers  of  the  New  York  and 
Erie  Railroad  Company,  and  other  gentlemen. 
In  May,  1861,  another  link  was  opened,  from 
Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  to  Corry,  Pa.,  a distance  of 
27  miles  from  the  former  place,  and  61  miles 
from  Salamanca.  On  the  27th  day  of  the  same 
month  regular  trains  commenced  running  over 
this  portion  of  the  road. 

In  1861  the  contracts  for  the  completion  of 
the  entire  line  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
McHenry;  but  the  work  was  suspended  from 
June  1st,  1861,  to  March  13th,  1862,  Avhen  the 
engineers  were  again  placed  upon  the  line  in 
Pennsylvania.  The  construction  was  now- 
driven  forward  with  energy  under  the  imme- 
diate supervision  of  Mr.  Kennard.  On  the  21st 
day  of  October,  1862,  the  road  was  opened  to 
Meadville,  Pa.,  41  miles  distant  from  Corry, 
and  102  miles  from  Salamanca. 

During  this  time  the  work  was  progressing 
in  Ohio,  not  very  rapidly,  however ; but  in 
the  spring  of  1862  it  was  energetically  com- 
menced. 

January  4th,  1863,  another  section  of  the 
road  was  opened,  from  Meadville,  Pa.,  to  War- 
ren, O.,  59  miles  from  the  former  place,  and 
161  miles  from  Salamanca. 

February  23d  following,  the  track-laying  wras 
completed  to  Ravenna,  and  on  the  18th  of 
May  express  trains  commenced  running  reg- 
ularly to  this  point ; and,  eight  days  subse- 
quently, the  broad-gauge  cars  reached  Akron, 
202  miles  from  Salamanca. 

On  the  30th  of  this  same  month  the  track- 
layers completed  the  track  on  the  Franklin 
Branch  (Meadville  to  Franklin,  Pa.),  25  miles. 

The  work  accomplished  during  the  year,  so 
briefly  referred  to,  is  without  parallel  in  the  his- 
tory of  railroads.  When  v^e  consider  the  great 
scarcity  of  laborers,  the  army  absorbing  able- 
bodied  men  to  the  extent  that  it  became  neces- 
sary to  keep  agents  in  Canada  and  Ireland  to 
send  them  out  for  this  particular  work  by  the 
ship -load,  the  building  and  bringing  into  ac- 
tive operation  so  many  miles  of  road  in  so  short 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


5 


a period  of  time  may  well  be  called  a wonder- 
ful achievement. 

Although  we'  have  now  reached  Akron,  the 
work  does  not  lag,  but  is  being  carried  on  with 
the  same  resistless  energy  that  characterizes  all 
the  movements  of  this  young,  but  powerful  and 
influential  corporation. 

We  find  that,  in  the  month  of  October,  1863, 
this  company  (we  speak  of  these  three  compa- 
nies as  one , because  they  are  one  in  interest, 
and  are  working  in  harmony,  with  but  one  ob- 
ject in  view)  leased  for  99  years  the  Cleveland 
and  Mahoning  Railroad,  extending  from  Cleve- 
land southerly  to  Youngstown,  O.,  67  miles. 
This  road  has  a narrow-gauge  track  crossing 
the  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  Railroad  at 
Leavittsburg,  O.,  a point  50  miles  south  of 
Cleveland.  The  Atlantic  and  Great  Western 
Railroad  Company  laid  a rail  on  either  side  of 
the  narrow  track,  thus  carrying  the  broad-gauge 
into  the  Forest  City,  and  enabling  them  to  an- 
nounce, on  the  3d  of  November,  1863,  the  arri- 
val of  a broad-gauge  train  from  the  city  of  New 
York. 

On  the  27th  of  December  of  this  year  the 
last  rail  between  Akron  and  Galion  was  spiked, 
82  miles  of  additional  road  being  thereby 
brought  into  use. 

In  June,  1864,  a special  train  reached  Day- 
ton,  and  a connection  was  made  with  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  Railroad  at  Cincinnati,  over  the 
broad-gauge  track  of  the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton, 
and  Dayton  Railroad,  from  Dayton  to  Cincin- 
nati, which  had  been  provided  by  that  company 
for  the  business  of  the  Atlantic  and  Great  West- 
ern Railway. 

In  August  of  the  same  year,  a train  was  run 
from  New  York  to  St.  Louis,  1200  miles  of 
broad  gauge,  in  47  hours. 

Work  on  this  great  line  was  commenced 
about  May  1st,  1860.  In  June,  1864,  the  track 
was  completed  to  Dayton,  388  miles ; also  from 
Leavittsburg  to  (Cleveland,  50  miles ; and  from 
Meadville  to  Franklin,  25  miles.  From  June, 
1861,  to  April,  1862,  work  was  suspended; 
therefore  we  have  463  miles  of  road  built  and 
brought  into  active  operation  in  a period  of 
about  38  months. 

The  entire  main  line  of  the  three  companies 
is  as  follows : * 

Main  line  of  the  Atlantic  and  Great 

Western  Ry.  Co.  in  N.Y.  • Sala- 
manca to  the  N.Y.  and  Pa.  state 


line 49  miles 

Main  line  of  the  Atlantic  and  Great 
Western  Ry.  Co.  of  Pa,  : N.Y.  and 
Pa.  state  line  to  Pa.  and  Ohio  state 

line 92  “ 

Main  line  of  the  Atlantic  and  Great 
Western  Ry.  Co.  Ohio : Ohio  and 

Pa.  state  line  to  Dayton 247  “ 

Total  main  line 388  miles 


In  addition  to  the  above  main  line  in  the 
three  states  of  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  and 
Ohio,  we  have  the  following  branches  : 


Franklin  Branch,  from  Meadville  to 

Oil  City,  Pa 32  miles 

Mahoning  and  Cleveland  Branches, 
the  Cleveland  and  Mahoning  Rail- 
road leased  for  99  years,  viz.  : 

Cleveland  Branch,  from  Leavitts- 


burg to  Cleveland,  Ohio 50  “ 

Mahoning  Branch,  from  Leavitts- 
burg to  Youngstown,  Ohio 17  “ 

Hubbard  Branch,  being  a branch  of 
the  above  Cleveland  and  Mahon- 
ing Railroad,  from  Youngstown  to 

Coal  Mines,  Ohio 14  “ 

Silver  Creek  Branch,  from  near 

Wadsworth  to  Coal  Mines,  Ohio...  6 “ 

Total  miles  of  branches 119 

“ main  line 388 

Total  miles  operated 507 


In  August,  1865,  the  companies  of  the  three 
roads  were  consolidated,  under  the  provisions 
of  Acts  of  Consolidation  passed  by  the  respect- 
ive Legislatures  of  the  three  states  of  New  Yorkt 
Pennsylvania,  and  Ohio.  Included  in  the  con- 
solidation is  a branch  road,  heretofore  known 
as  “The  Buffalo  Extension  of  the  Atlantic  and 
Great  Western  Railway  Company,”  leaving  the 
main  line  of  the  consolidated  roads  at  Randolph, 
New  York,  17  miles  west  of  Salamanca,  and  ex- 
tending to  Buffalo,  a distance  of  about  67  miles. 
This  branch  will  be  completed  in  1866,  and  will 
form  a connection  with  the  Erie  and  Niagara 
Railroad  in  Canada,  crossing  the  Niagara  River 
near  Buffalo.  [The  foregoing  history  of  the 
Atlantic  and  Great  Western  Railway  was  pre- 
pared by  J.  C.  Calhoun,  auditor  of  the  com- 
pany, who  has  been  connected  with  it  for  many 
years.] 

Thus  it  will  be  seen,  from  these  two  or  three 
local  projects,  there  has  been  developed  one  of 
the  most  extensive  and  successful  railways  on 
this  continent.  When  James  McHenry,  with 
rare  foresight  and  remarkable  financial  ability, 
entered  fully  upon  the  work,  it  was  carried  for- 
ward with  irresistible  energy.  The  fact  soon 
became  apparent  that  some  of  the  wealthiest 
men  in  England,  with  James  McHenry  at  the 
head,  were  constructing  an  independent  line,  to 
connect  all  the  principal  cities  of  the  sea-board 
with  the  great  West,  thus  affording  greater  fa- 
cilities to  the  manufacturer  and  producer  for 
exchanging  their  commodities,  and  eventually 
cheapening  rates  for  travel  and  freight.  Meas- 
ures were  at  once  adopted  by  other  railway  com- 
panies to  compete,  if  possible,  with,  this  great 
line,  which  day  by  day  developed  itself  with  as- 
tonishing rapidity.  New  union  depots  were 
projected ; new  cars,  with,  all  the  modern  im- 
provements, ordered ; eating-houses  remodeled, 
and  more. time  allowed  for  meals;  better  connec- 
tions made,  and,  wherever  practicable,  cars  run 
over  connecting  roads,  thus  striving  to  retain  a 
portion  of  the  through  traffic  which  they  foresaw 
must  inevitably  be  diverted  to  the  Atlantic  and 
Great  Western  Railway.  Though  nearly  600 
miles  of  road  are  now  operated  by  the  company, 


6 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


the  work  of  construction  still  goes  steadily  for- 
ward. Railroads  that  were  heretofore  consid- 
ered merely  local  enterprises  have  been  leased 
for  a long  term  of  years,  others  bought  outright, 
and  will,  as  soon  as  practicable,  be  connected 
with  the  main  line.  When  the  projected  con- 
nections are  all  made — when,  as  contemplated, 
the  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  has  a terminus 
in  Boston,  Philadelphia,  St.  Louis,  and  Chicago, 
as  well  as  New  York — then  that  time  will  have 
arrived  when  rates  for  both  passengers  and 
freight  will  be  cheapened  to  such  an  extent  that 
its  beneficial  effects  will  be  felt  in  the  remotest 
sections  of  our  country. 

As  previously  stated,  Mr.  McHenry  put  the 
entire  supervision  of  the  construction  of  the 
Atlantic  and  Great  Western  Railway  into  the 
hand/ of  T.  W.  Kennard,  Esq.,  who  entered  into 
the  work  with  characteristic  earnestness  and 
vigor.  He  so  infused  his  own  spirit  and  energy 
into  his  subordinates  that  the  work  progressed 
for  months  at  the  rate  of  a mile  a day,  through 
towns  and  villages,  swamps  and  woods,  through 
hills  and  over  rivers,  until  the  broad-gauge  sys- 
tem was  completed  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to 
the  Mississippi  River.  To  accomplish  this,  he 
procured  from  Canada  and  Europe  15,000  men. 
Mr.  Kennard  has  had  charge  of  many  important 
works  in  England  and  Spain ; and,  it  is  almost 
unnecessary  to  add,  his  reputation  as  a civil  en- 
gineer is  world-wide.  He  has  built  miles  of 
iron  bridges,  including  the  celebrated  Crumlin 
Viaduct  in  Wales,  one  third  of  a mile  long  and 
200  feet  high. 

No  new  line  ever  built  in  the  United  States 
passes  through  more  highly  cultivated  or  better 
settled  districts,  which,  from  the  very  first,  have 
thrown  an  immense  amount  of  traffic  upon  the 
line.  The  passenger  station  at  Cincinnati  of 
the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton,  and  Dayton  Railroad 
Company  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  convenient 
in  the  United  States,  containing  arrangements 
for  the  comfort  of  our  passengers  not  usually 
met  with.  At  Meadville,  the  head-quarters  of 


the  company,  there  is  a very  fine  building,  con- 
taining the  offices  for  the  various  departments, 
refreshment  rooms,  and,  in  addition,  a large, 
first-class  hotel,  admirably  managed.  There 
are  at  this  place,  built  of  brick,  large  workshops 
and  engine-houses,  which,  with  the  houses  be- 
longing to  the  company  and  rented  by  employes, 
cover  an  area  of  sixty  acres. 

At  the  Kent  Station  there  are  also  large 
works,  consisting  of  car  and  smith  shops  and 
engine-houses,  all  built  of  stone  in  a most  sub- 
stantial manner.  In  addition,  the  Company 
have  leased  and  enlarged  the  Jersey  City  Lo- 
comotive Works.  This  immense  factory  in 
Jersey  City  occupies  two  entire  blocks,  from 
Morgan  to  Washington  Streets,  and  from  Steu- 
ben to  Bay  Streets,  and  turns  out  complete  eight 
locomotives  of  the  largest  size  per  month,  and 
also  furnishes  the  iron  work  for  cars,  both  pas- 
senger and  freight,  for  the  equipment  of  the  road. 

Under  the  active  presidency  of  S.  S.  L’Hom- 
medieu,  Esq.,  and  the  management  of  D.  McLa- 
ren, Esq.,  the  general  superintendent,  vast  im- 
provements are  being  made. 

The  country  traversed  by  this  road  and  its 
extensions,  more  than  a thousand  miles  from 
New  York  to  St.  Louis,  is  equal  in  wealth,  as 
well  as  in  variety  of  scenery,  to  any  portion  of 
the  American  continent.  Leaving  New  York 
City  by  the  Erie  Road,  you  pass  through  a beau- 
tiful and  fruitful  section  of  New  Jersey,  until 
that  road  strikes  the  Delaware  River.  It  then 
follows  the  meanderings  of  that  stream  through 
charming  and  variegated  scenery  for  a consid- 
erable distance,  when  it  strikes  across  to  the 
waters  of  the  more  beautiful  and  romantic  Sus- 
quehanna. From  thence  the  Erie  Road  pro- 
ceeds in  its  westerly  course  through  the  south- 
ern tier  of  counties  in  New  York,  until  at  Sala- 
manca, the  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  strikes 
off  in  a southwesterly  direction,  passing  through 
a portion  of  Southwestern  New  York,  North- 
western Pennsylvania,  and  Central  Ohio,  to 
both  Cincinnati  and  Cleveland. 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


7 


STATIONS  ON  THE  MAIN  LINE  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  AND 
GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


Cincinnati  (Salamanca,  448  miles),  connect 
with  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  Indianapolis  and 
Cincinnati,  and  Kentucky  Central  Railroads; 
also  with  Louisville  steamers — the  western  ter- 
minus of  the  Atlantic  and  Great  Western,  and 
Cincinnati,  Hamilton,  and  Dayton  Railway 
lines.  The  site  of  the  city  is  peculiarly  favora- 
ble to  commerce.  It  is  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Ohio  River,  455  miles  below  Pitts- 
burg, and  1548  above  New  Orleans.  It  is  near 
the  eastern  extremity  of  a valley  about  12  miles 
in  circumference,  surrounded  by  a series  of 
hills,  which  rise  to  the  height  of  300  feet  by 
gentle  and  varying  slopes.  The  city  is  built  on 
two  table-lands,  the  one  elevated  from  40  to  60 
feet  above  the  other.  Covington  and  Newport, 
opposite,  in  Kentucky,  are  connected  with  the 
city  by  means  of  a suspension  bridge  across  the 
Ohio,  the  span  of  which  is  the  longest  in  this 
country.  The  shore  of  the  Ohio  at  the  landing 
(an  open  area  of  about  10  acres)  is  substantially 
paved  to  low-water  mark,  and  supplied  with 
floating  wharves.  The  city  is  laid  out  with 
great  regularity,  the  streets  well  paved,  is  com- 
pactly and  well  built,  and  a very  large  number 
of  the  buildings  are  of  a beautiful  gray  sand- 
stone. The  climate  is  more  variable  than  on 
the  Atlantic  coast  in  the  same  latitude,  snow 
rarely  falling  sufficiently  deep  to  furnish  sleigh- 
ing, and  navigation  is  seldom  suspended  in  win- 
ter. Few  places  are  more  healthy,  and  no  other 
large  city  of  the  United  States  affords  such  a 
variety  of  position  and  scenery.  It  is  the  coun- 
ty seat  of  Hamilton  county,  and  has  about 
220,000  inhabitants.  The  city  is  supplied  with 
water  raised  from  the  Ohio  River  by  steam-pow- 
er. The  raw  material  and  facilities  for  manu- 
facturing are  very  abundant,  and  almost  un- 
equaled. Above,  on  the  Ohio  River,  are  inex- 
haustible beds  of  iron,  coal,  and  salt.  The 
manufactures  of  the  city,  already  enormous,  are 
constantly  increasing.  In  the  curing  of  meats 
(especially  the  product  of  the  hog)  Cincinnati 
has  long  been  famous.  The  pork,  bacon,  lard, 
lard-oil,  star  candles,  soap,  bristles,  etc.,  amount 
in  value  to  11  millions  annually.  The  manu- 
facture of  iron,  in  all  its  branches,  amounts  to 
about  6 millions;  clothing,  10  millions;  furni- 
ture, 4 millions;  domestic  liquors,  9 millions. 
The  Cincinnati  Observatory,  Court-house,  City 
Hall,  Merchants’  Exchange,  Pike’s  Opera-house, 
Masonic  Temple,  Catholic  Cathedral,  etc.,  de- 
serve especial  mention.  There  are  over  one 
hundred  churches,  and  many  literary  and  char- 
itable institutions;  eight  or  ten  daily  news- 
papers, and  a large  number  of  weekly  and 
monthly  publications. 

Wine  from  the  Catawba  grape  is  extensively 
made  from  the  produce  of  the  extensive  vine- 
yards in  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati.  In  1779 


there  were  three  small  settlements  on  the  Ohio, 
between  the  Miami  Rivers  — Columbia,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Little  Miami ; Cincinnati,  oppo- 
site the  mouth  of  the  Licking ; and  Symmes,  or 
North  Bend  (since  famous  as  the  reidence  of 
President  Harrison).  To  protect  these  settle- 
ments from  the  incursions  of  the  Indians,  it  be- 
came necessary  for  the  government  to  establish 
a military  post  at  one  of  the  -three  points.  The 
officer  in  command  selected  North  Bend,  and 
was  completing  his  arrangements  to  build  a fort 
and  block-house,  when  he  suddenly  reversed  his 
decision.  The  story  goes  that  he  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  a beautiful  woman,  the  wife  of 
one  of  the  settlers,  and  that  the  husband,  not 
liking  his  frequent  visits,  suddenly  removed  his 
family  to  Cincinnati.  The  officer  at  once  de- 
cided that  North  Bend  was  not  an  advantageous 
position  for  a military  post ; that  the  proper 
point  was  Cincinnati,  and  built  the  fort  there. 
This  soon  became  the  head-quarters  and  depot 
of  the  army,  and  settled  the  location  of  “the 
Queen  City  of  the  West.” 

Hamilton  (Cincinnati,  25  miles ; Salamanca, 
423  miles),  connect  with  Cincinnati,  Eaton,  and 
Richmond,  and  Cincinnati  and  Indianapolis 
Junction  Railroads — is  a prosperous  manufac- 
turing city,  situated  on  the  site  of  Fort  Hamil- 
ton, on  the  left  bank  of  the  Great  Miami  River, 
and  is  abundantly  supplied  with  motive  power 
by  a canal  diverting  the  water  from  the  river 
four  miles  above.  There  are  numerous  cotton 
and  woolen  factories,  paper-mills,  iron  found- 
ries, machine  shops,  etc.  It  has  about  25,000 
inhabitants,  and  is  the  county  seat  of  Butler 
county.  One  John  Cleve  Symmes,  who  lived 
and  died  in  Hamilton,  achieved  some  notoriety 
by  advancing  and  advocating  a theory  that  the 
earth  is  hollow,  habitable  within,  and  widely 
open  about  the  poles.  He  petitioned  Congress 
and  the  State  Legislature  to  fit  out  an  expedi- 
tion to  explore,  etc.,  etc.  The  county  has  a 
population  of  about  48,000.  An  excellent  spe- 
cies of  limestone  for  building  purposes  underlies 
the  county.  A number  of  interesting  monu- 
ments of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  have  been 
discovered  in  this  region. 

Dayton  (Cincinnati,  60  miles;  Salamanca, 
388  miles),  connect  with  Dayton  and  Western, 
Dayton  and  Michigan,  Dayton  and  Union,  Xenia 
and  Belpre,  and  Sandusky,  Dayton,  and  Cin- 
cinnati railroads — is  situated  on  the  Great  Mi- 
ami River,  immediately  below  the  entrance  of 
Mad  River,  and  is  built  upon  a plain,  with  the 
streets  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles,  and 
a public  square  in  the  centre.  It  is  a place  of 
great  industrial  activity  and  wealth,  the  county 
seat  of  Montgomery  county,  and  has  40,000  in- 
habitants. The  county  court-house  is  an  im- 
posing structure,  built  of  white  marble  quarried 


8 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


in  the  neighborhood.  A large  and  elegant  Opera- 
house  has  recently  been  completed.  There  is  an 
immense  water-power  within  the  city  limits,  a 
great  part  of  which  is  obtained  from  a hydraulic 
canal.  Flour,  oil,  and  paper  mills,  cotton  and 
woolen  factories,  iron  foundries,  machine  shops, 
breweries,  manufactories  of  agricultural  imple- 
ments, railroad  cars,  gun  barrels,  pegs  and  lasts, 
hollow-ware,  etc.,  are  here  in  profusion.  About 
10  miles  south  of  Dayton,  on  an  elevation  some 
100  feet  above  the  Miami  River,  is  an  ancient 
work,  or  fortification,  800  feet  around  the  base, 
and  67  feet  high — the  largest  artificial  mound, 
with  one  exception,  yet  discovered  in  the  country. 

Kneisley’s  (Cincinnati,  67  miles  ; Salaman- 
ca, 381  miles).  A short  distance  from  this  sta- 
tion is  a large  mill  (capacity  100  barrels  of  flour 
per  day)  and  an  extensive  distillery,  making  this 
point  a great  grain  depot  for  the  surrounding 
country.  In  Montgomery  county. 

Osborn  (Cincinnati,  70  miles;  Salamanca, 
378  miles).  The  first  and  last  station  in  Greene 
county,  and  has  1200  inhabitants.  The  cele- 
brated Yellow  Springs,  wdiich  possess  medicinal 
qualities  equal  to  any  in  the  country,  are  located 
in  this  county,  nine  miles  north  of  Xenia.  The 
spring  originates  in  a limestone  rock,  and  pro- 
duces some  110  gallons  of  water  per  minute. 

Enon  (Cincinnati,  76  miles ; Salamanca,  372 
miles).  The  town  is  one  .mile  from  the  station, 
and  has  about  1000  inhabitants.  In  Clarke 
county. 

Snyder’s  (Cincinnati,  78  miles ; Salamanca, 
370  miles).  This  is  also  in  Clarke  county, 
which  has  a population  of  35,000.  The  soil  is 
very  fertile,  well  watered  by  springs,  and  is  well 
cultivated. 

Springfield  (Cincinnati,  82  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 366  miles)  is  the  centre  of  a rich  and 
populous  agricultural  region.  There  are  nu- 
merous large  flouring-mills  in  and  around  the 
city,  iron  foundries,  machine  shops,  linseed-oil 
mills,  woolen  factory,  paper-mill,  etc.  Lime- 
stone is  largely  quarried  and  burned,  producing 
lime  of  excellent  quality.  Wittenberg  College 
was  founded  here  in  1842  under  the  direction 
of  the  Christians ; it  has  a flourishing  theolog- 
ical department.  A heavy  trade  is  carried  on 
in  wheat,  flour,  Indian  corn,  and  other  produce  ; 
and  large  numbers  of  cattle  and  swine  are  ex- 
ported to  Eastern  markets.  It  is  the  county 
seat  of  Clarke  county,  and  is  situated  on  the 
east  fork  of  Mad  River,  which  affords  extensive 
water-power.  - The  station  is  one  mile  and  a 
half  from  the  town.  Tecumseh  was  born  in 
this  county,  near  Springfield. 

Tremont  (Cincinnati,  88  miles ; Salamanca, 
360  miles),  a small  place  in  Clarke  county  with 
about  300  inhabitants.  From  Dayton  to  this  sta- 
tion the  road  runs  near  Mad  River,  and  through 
a valley  not  excelled  for  fertility  and  agricultu- 
ral resources  by  any  portion  of  the  West. 

Hunt’s  (Cincinnati,  90  miles ; Salamanca, 
358  miles) — in  Clarke  county. 

Lawrence  (Cincinnati,  92  miles ; Salaman- 
ca, 356  miles) — in  Clarke  county. 


Urbana  (Cincinnati,  95  miles ; Salamanca, 
353  miles),  connect  with  Columbus  and  Indian- 
apolis, and  Sandusky,  Dayton,  and  Cincinnati 
Railroads.  To  this  point  from  Dayton  the  line 
runs  alongside  the  Sandusky,  Dayton,  and  Cin- 
cinnati Railroad,  and  here  intersects  the  road 
from  Indianapolis  to  Columbus.  Urbana  is  the 
county  seat  of  Champaign  county,  and  has  about 
8000  inhabitants.  It  is  finely  situated,  well 
built,  and  is  the  seat  of  Urbana  University. 
The  Urbana  Collegiate  Institute  (a  female  sem- 
inary), under  the  charge  of  the  United  Presby- 
terian Church,  is  also  located  here.'  Population 
of  county  about  25,000. 

Taylorstown  (Cincinnati,  99  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 349  miles),  small  village,  near  the  sta- 
tion, of  300  inhabitants.  In  Champaign  county. 

Mingo  Station  (Cincinnati,  105  miles;  Sal- 
amanca, 343  miles) — in  Champaign  county. 

North  Lewisburg  (Cincinnati,  109  miles ; 
Salamanca,  339  miles).  This  is  a small  village 
of  1000  inhabitants,  and  is  the  last  station,  going 
east,  in  Champaign  county.  Bellefontaine,  East 
Liberty,  Woodstock,  Middlebury,  Maysville, 
Middletown,  Pickerstown,  and  Lanesfield,  all 
populous  towns,  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  this 
station. 

Newton  (Cincinnati,  120  miles;  Salamanca, 
328  miles),  a considerable  depot  for  the  lumber 
and  other  products  of  Union  county. 

Richwood  (Cincinnati,  129  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 319  miles),  a thriving  town  in  Union, 
county,  with  about  1000  inhabitants.  Several 
small  towns  and  villages  are  in  the  immediate 
vicinity,  and  tributary  to  this  station.  Popula- 
tion of  county,  17,000. 

Berwick  (Cincinnati,  138  miles ; Salaman- 
ca, 310  miles),  the  first  station  in  Marion  coun- 
ty going  east,  and  has  700  inhabitants.  From 
North  Lewisburg  to  this  place  the  country  is 
new  and  thinly  settled. 

Marion  (Cincinnati,  143  miles ; Salamanca, 
305  miles),  the  county  seat  of  Marion  county, 
is  an  enterprising  business  place,  having  4000 
inhabitants.  Population  of  county,  16,000. 
From  Marion  to  Gabon,  a distance  of  21  miles, 
run  side  by  side  with  Bellefontaine  Railroad. 

Caledonia  (Cincinnati,  153  miles ; Sala- 
manca, 295  miles)  is  finely  situated  on  the  west 
branch  of  the  Whetstone  River,  in  Marion 
county,  and  has  a large  and  flourishing  busi- 
ness with  the  surrounding  country,  there  being 
several  mills  in  the  neighborhood. 

Galion  (Cincinnati,  164  miles ; Salamanca, 
284  miles),  connect  with  the  Bellefontaine, 
and  Cleveland,  Columbus,  and  Cincinnati  Rail- 
roads— in  Crawford  county ; is  the  eastern  ter- 
minus of  the  Bellefontaine  Railroad,  and  has 
some  3000  inhabitants.  Enormous  beds  of  peat 
are  found  in  this  county,  one  of  which,  in  Cran- 
berry township,  called  Cranberry  Marsh,  con- 
taining 2000  acres,  is  estimated  to  contain 
2,500,000  cords.  This  marsh  formerly  pro- 
duced thousands  of  bushels  of  cranberries. 
There  are  sulphur  springs  near  Bucyrus,  the 
county  seat,  which  are  resorted  to  by  invalids  ; 


uc 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


9 


and,  in  the  town,  a curious  well,  from  which 
gas  is  conducted  to  the  surface  by  pipes,  and 
bums  brilliantly.  Population  of  county,  24,000. 

Ontario  (Cincinnati,  172  miles;  Salaman- 
ca, 276  miles),  a small  village  of  about  500  in- 
habitants, and  the  first  station  in  Richland 
county  going  east. 

Mansfield  (Cincinnati,  179  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 269  miles),  connect  with  the  Pittsburg, 
Fort  Wayne,  and  Chicago,  and  Sandusky, 
Mansfield,  and  Newark  Railroads — is  pleasant- 
ly situated  on  elevated  ground,  is  the  county 
seat  of  Richland  county,  and  has  a population 
of  from  5000  to  10,000.  Mansfield  was  named 
after  its  original  settler,  Col.  Jared  Mansfield, 
a gentleman  distinguished  for  extraordinary 
mathematical  talents,  and  Surveyor  General  of 
the  United  States  for  the  Northwestern  Territo- 
ries under  President  Jefferson.  This  county  is 
noted  for  fine  horses  and  neat  cattle';  has  a 
population  of  31,000.  At  this  point  the  At- 
lantic and  Great  Western,  and  Pittsburg,  Fort 
Wayne,  and  Chicago  companies  have  agreed  to 
erect  union  depots. 

Windsor  (Cincinnati,  187  miles  ; Salaman- 
ca, 261  miles) — small  place ; population,  300. 
Olivesburg  and  Mifflin  are  near  this  station. 

Ashland  (Cincinnati,  196  miles;  Salaman- 
ca, 252  miles),  formerly  called  Uniontown,  but 
changed  its  name  in  compliment  to  Henry  Clay, 
is  the  county  seat  of  Ashland  county,  and  has 
about  3000  inhabitants.  It  is  beautifully  situ- 
ated on  a ridge  between  the  Lake  Fork  and 
Black  Fork  of  the  Mohican  River.  This  coun- 
ty is  famous  for  its  wheat,  and  has  a population 
of  24,000.  Hayesville,  Jeromesville,  Orange,  and 
Savannah  are  near  and  tributary  to  this  station. 

Polk  (Cincinnati,  203  miles;  Salamanca, 
245  miles),  a depot  for  the  towns  of  Troy  and 
Rousburg,  in  Ashland  county. 

West  Salem  (Cincinnati,  210  miles ; Sala- 
manca, 238  miles)  is  a thriving  little  town  in 
Wayne  county,  with  about  1000  inhabitants, 
and  is  the  centre  of  a great  butter  region. 
Wayne  county  was  established  in  1796,  and  was 
the  third  county  formed  in  the  Northwestern 
Territory.  Its  original  limits  were  very  exten- 
sive, embracing  what  is  now  a part  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  all  of  Michi- 
gan. Ohio,  with  a considerable  part  of  the 
neighboring  region,  was  comprised  in  a terri- 
torial government  established  by  the  United 
States  in  1781,  under  the  name  of  the  “Terri- 
tory northwest  of  the  Ohio.”  Population  of 
county,  32,500.  Wooster  is  the  county  seat. 
Coal  abounds  in  the  northwestern  part.  Per- 
rysburg,  Converse,  and  Homer  are  tributary  to 
this  station. 

Bridgeport  (Cincinnati,  216  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 232  miles)  is  a small  village  in  Wayne 
county,  having  800  inhabitants.  Several  large 
towns  are  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 

Seville  (Cincinnati,  222  miles;  Salaman- 
ca, 226  miles),  a growing  place,  has  already 
some  12,00  inhabitants,  and  is  in  Medina 
county.  Medina  was  originally  named  Mecca, 
B 


the  birth-place  of  Mohammed ; then  changed  to 
Medina,  his  burial-place.  There  are  but  six 
other  Medinas  in  the  world  : one  in  Arabia, 
one  in  Africa,  one  on  an  island  in  the  Persian 
Gulf,  one  in  Spain,  one  in  New  York,  and  one 
in  Michigan.  Population  of  county,  22,500. 
Medina  is  the  county  seat. 

Wadsworth  (Cincinnati,  232  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 216  miles),  junction  of  Silver  Creek 
Branch.  Diverging  from  Wadsworth  is  the 
Silver  Creek  Branch  of  the  Atlantic  and  Great 
Western,  a coal  road  six  miles  long,  being  the 
first  coal-field  reached  on  the  line  going  east. 
It  is  expected  to  supply  the  towns  on  the  line 
south  with  the  coal,  which  is  of  the  celebrated 
Chippewa  variety.  This  village  has  some  500 
inhabitants,  and  is  in  Medina  county.  Sharon, 
Western  Star,  River  Styx,  Doyjestown,  and 
Clinton  are  thriving  towns  near  this  station. 
Population  of  county,  22,500. 

New  Portage  (Cincinnati,  240  miles ; Sal- 
amanca, 2Q8  miles).  There  are  large  earthen- 
ware works  in  this  place.  It  has  some  500  in- 
habitants, and  is  in  Summit  county.  Immense 
beds  of  bituminous  coal  are  found  in  this  coun- 
ty ; also  fine  clay,  from  which  a superior  qual- 
ity of  stoneware  is  manufactured.  The  towns 
near  this  station,  and  tributary  to  it,  are  Rich- 
field, with  a population  of  2000;  Hinckley, 
1000;  Brunswick,  1000;  Liverpool,  3000; 
Strongsville,  2500;  Albion,  and  Yellow  Creek. 

Akron  (Cincinnati,  246  miles;  Salamanca, 
202  miles),  connect  with  Cleveland,  Zanesville, 
and  Cincinnati  Railroad  — the  county  seat  of 
Summit  county,  and  has  about  10,000  inhabit- 
ants. The  Ohio  and  Erie  and  the  Ohio  and 
Pennsylvania  Canals  connect  at  this  point.  By 
a succession  of  locks  at  Akron,  the  Ohio  and 
Erie  Canal  rises  suddenly  to  the  Portage  Sum- 
mit, and  presents  many  picturesque  views.  An 
immense  water-power  is  here  produced  by  means 
of  the  Little  Cuyahoga  River  and  the  waste  wa- 
ter of  the  canal,  which  has  been  extensively  em- 
ployed for  milling  purposes,  making  it  the  most 
important  flour-milling  point  in  the  state,  the 
capacity  of  the  mills  being  1500  barrels  per  day. 
There  are  four  woolen  factories,  five  large  flour- 
mills, a steam-engine  factory,  a blast  furnace,  a 
mineral  paint-mill,  a card  manufactory,  and  ex- 
tensive manufactories  for  agricultural  imple- 
ments, stoves,  etc.  The  town  is  400  feet  above 
the  lake,  being  the  most  elevated  ground  on  the 
line  of  the  canal  between  Lake  Erie  and  the 
Ohio  River.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  town  im- 
mense beds  of  mineral  paint  are  found,  and  ex- 
ported to  every  part  of  the  country. 

Tallmadge  (Cincinnati,  250  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 198  miles) — the  last  station  in  Summit 
county  going  east,  and  has  about  500  inhabit- 
ants. There  is  a bed  of  excellent  bituminous 
coal  here,  which  is  extensively  mined.  Two 
miles  distant  is  the  pleasant  village  of  Cuyahoga 
Falls,  where  the  Cuyahoga  River  passes  through 
a deep  channel  in  the  rocks,  and  by  successive 
leaps  falls  240  feet,  creating  an  immense  water- 
power. 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


10 


Kent  (Cincinnati,  256  miles ; Salamanca,  i 
192  miles),  formerly  called  Franklin  Mills,  is  sit- 
uated on  the  Cuyahoga  River,  which  has  here  a 
series  of  falls,  creating  a great  water-power. 
About  two  miles  from  the  town  is  a beautiful 
sheet  of  water,  known  as  Brady’s  Pond,  the 
shores  of  which  are  composed  of  a white  sand, 
adapted  to  the  manufacture  of  glass.  Near  this 
spot  the  Cuyahoga  River  is  compressed  into  a 
narrow,  rocky  channel,  50  feet  deep  and  20 
across,  called  Brady’s  Leap — both  deriving  their 
names  from  an  incident  in  the  life  of  a noted 
Indian  fighter  named  Brady.  In  escaping  from 
the  Indians,  Brady  jumped  this  chasm,  and  suc- 
cessfully eluded  pursuit  by  secreting  himself  in 
the  pond.  Extensive  work-shops  have  been 
erected  by  the  Company  at  this  point.  The 
buildings  are  of  white  sandstone  found  on  the 
spot,  and  are  substantial  and  handsome.  There 
are  two  flouring-mills,  one  large  cotton  factory, 
two  woolen  factories,  and  four  churches  here. 
Kent  has  at  present  about  1500  inhabitants,  and 
bids  fair -to  be  an  important  town.  It  is  the 
home  of  Marvin  Kent,  Esq.,  first  President  of 
the  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  Company  in 
Ohio. 

Ravenna  (Cincinnati,  263  miles ; Salaman- 
ca, 185  miles),  connect  with  the  Cleveland  and 
Pittsburg  Railroad — the  county  seat  of  Portage 
county.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  on  a plain 
near  the  branch  of  the  Cuyahoga  River,  and  has 
about  5000  inhabitants.  The  Pennsylvania  and 
Ohio  Canal  passes  through  the  south  part  of  the 
village,  and  affords  water-power.  Rootstown, 
Randolph,  Campbellsford,  Streatsburg,  Shalers- 
ville,  a*id  Nelson  are  all  within  a short  distance 
of  this  station. 

Freedom  (Cincinnati,  269  miles;  Salaman- 
ca, 179  miles),  small  town  in  Portage  county, 
but  country  in  the  vicinity  is  densely  populated. 

Windham  (Cincinnati,  274  miles;  Salaman- 
ca, 174  miles).  This  is  a flourishing  agricultu- 
ral town  in  Portage  county,  with  some  1000  or 
1200  inhabitants.  Its  name  was  changed  from 
Sharon  in  1820.  All  this  region  is  a fine  graz- 
ing country,  and  some  of  the  small  towns  furnish 
1000  tons  of  cheese  and  butter  per  annum. 

Braceville  (Cincinnati,  279  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 169  miles),  in  Trumbull  county,  be- 
tween the  main  line  and  Cleveland  Branch,  and 
has  some  1500  inhabitants.  There  are  fine 
dairy  farms  in  this  vicinity.  Sellington,  Farm- 
ington, Mesopotamia,  Newton  Falls,  Lordstown, 
Paris,  and  Windsor  are  tributary  to  this  station. 

Leavittsburg  (Cincinnati,  283  miles;  Sal- 
amanca, 165  miles),  junction  of  Cleveland 
Branch  and  Mahoning  Branch  with  main  line 
— an  important  transfer  point ; in  Trumbull 
county.  This  county  originally  comprised  with- 
in its  limits  the  whole  of  the  tract  known  as  the 
Western  Reserve,  and  was  named  in  honor  of 
Governor  Trumbull,  of  Connecticut.  By  virtue 
of  her  charter,  Connecticut  claimed  part  of  the 
territory  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  ; the  former 
she  relinquished,  the  latter  was  adjusted  by  her 
receiving  a tract  in  Ohio,  which  was  called  the 


Western  Reserve.  This  lay  along  the  southern 
shore  of  Lake  Erie.  In  1795  it  was  sold  by 
Connecticut,  and  the  money  received  became 
the  foundation  of  her  school  fund.  The  earlv 
records  of  the  counties  on  the  Reserve  are  cop- 
ied from  the  records  of  this  county.  The  Penn- 
sylvania and  Ohio  Canal,  here  called  the  Ma- 
honing Canal,  passes  through  the  county.  Cat- 
tle, butter,  cheese,  and  grain  are  largely  export- 
ed. Warren,  county  seat.  Population,  30,000. 

Warren  (Cincinnati,  286  miles;  Salamanca, 
162  miles)  is  situated  on  the  Mahoning  River, 
and  has  about  4000  inhabitants.  It  is  the  coun- 
ty seat  of  Trumbull  county.  The  town  plat  is 
one  mile  square,  with  streets  crossing  each  other 
at  right  angles.  The  Mahoning  River  furnishes 
a fine  water-power,  and  is  extensively  used  for 
manufacturing  purposes. 

Baconsburg  (Cincinnati,  294  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 154  miles).  This  is  called  the  Mecca 
oil  region,  and  produces  valuable  oil  in  moder- 
ate quantities.  It  is  in  Trumbull  county,  and 
has  about  500  inhabitants.  Mecca,  Johnson’s, 
Gustavus,  and  Williamsfield  are  all  within  a few 
miles  of  this  station. 

Johnson’s  Summit  (Cincinnati,  299  miles; 
Salamanca,  149  miles).  Large  dairy  farms  are 
along  the  line  of  the  road  between  this  station 
and  Akron,  and  the  shipments  of  butter  and 
cheese  vary  from  500  to  1200  tons  per  annum 
from  each  station.  In  Trumbull  county. 

Burghill  (Cincinnati,  304  miles ; Salaman- 
ca, 144  miles),  in  Trumbull  county,  and  the  last 
station,  going  east,  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 

Orangeville  (Cincinnati,  306  miles ; Sala- 
manca, 142  miles),  a place  of  considerable  ac- 
tivity, and  has  some  1200  inhabitants.  Within 
a radius  of  five  or  ten  miles  are  the  towns  of 
Sharon,  Hartford,  Vernon,  Kinsman,  Maysville, 
and  Sharpsville.  In  Mercer  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Crawford’s  (Cincinnati,  309  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 139  miles) — large  coal-fields  at  this 
point. 

Clarksville  (Cincinnati,  31 1 miles ; Sala- 
manca, 137  miles),  connect  with  Erie  and  Pitts- 
burg Railroad.  The  Erie  and  Pittsburg  Road 
runs  parallel  with  the  Atlantic  and  Great  West- 
ern track  8 miles,  and  at  this  point  the  two 
companies  have  constructed  a commodious  trans- 
fer station,  which  has  given  the  town  a sudden 
impetus ; it  already  numbers  some  1000  inhab- 
itants, and  is  growing  rapidly.  As  there  are 
some  10  towns,  with  populations  of  from  2000 
to  3500,  tributary  to  this  station,  it  will  doubtless 
be  a very  important  place.  In  Mercer  county. 
Population  of  county,  36, 800.  Extensive  coal 
mines  are  found  in  this  county;  also  iron  and 
limestone.  Iron  foundries,  woolen  factories, 
tanneries,  etc.,  abound  here.  The  Beaver  and 
Erie  Canal  intersects  the  county. 

Greenville  (Cincinnati,  319  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 129  miles),  a large  and  flourishing  town 
in  Mercer  county  of  4000  inhabitants.  Several 
important  towns  are  tributary  to  this  station. 

Sugar  Grove  (Cincinnati,  325  miles;  Sala- 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


11 


manca,  123  miles) — small  station,  in  Mercer 
county. 

Adamsville  (Cincinnati,  325  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 121  miles),  a village  of  about  500  inhab- 
itants, and  the  first  station,  going  east,  in  Craw- 
ford county. 

Evansburg  (Cincinnati,  333  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 115  miles).  Town  of  the  same  name  4 
miles  from  station.  Population,  800.  In  Craw- 
ford county.  Population  of  county,  50,000. 
This  county  was  named  in  honor  of  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Crawford,  who  was  killed  by  the  Indians  at 
Sandusky  in  1782.  Lumber  is  abundant,  and 
forms  one  of  the  chief  articles  of  export.  Iron 
ore  and  lime  marl  are  found  in  considerable 
abundance.  Enormous  quantities  of  butter  and 
cheese  are  manufactured  in  this  county.  There 
are  140  saw-mills,  15  flour-mills,  3 woolen  fac- 
tories, 2 iron  foundries,  16  tanneries,  and  vari- 
ous other  mills  and  factories. 

Sutton  (Cincinnati,  338  miles;  Salamanca, 
110  miles),  a considerable  depot  for  the  lumber 
and  other  products  of  Crawford  county. 

Meadville  (Cincinnati,  345  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 103  miles),  connect  with  Franklin  and 
Oil  City  branch  of  the  Atlantic  and  Great  West- 
ern for  Franklin,  Reno,  Oil  City,  Pithole,  and 
Petroleum  City — the  outlet  of  the  great  oil  re- 
gion of  Pennsylvania.  The  general  offices  of 
the  railway  are  at  this  place,  and  a large  and 
admirably  managed  hotel,  the  McHenry  House, 
where  passengers  dine,  etc.  Eight  distinct  ta- 
ble-d’hote  dinners  are  served  here  for  the  con- 
venience of  persons  living  in  the  house  and  pas- 
sengers arriving  by  the  trains.  Meadville  is  the 
county  seat  of  Crawford  county,  and  is  one  of 
the  oldest  as  well  as  wealthiest  towns  west  of 
the  Alleghanies  with  the  exception  of  Pitts- 
burg, and  has  some  12,000  inhabitants.  It  lies 
on  the  left  bank  of  French  Creek.  The  town 
plat  gradually  rises  from  the  river  to  its  centre, 
where  .is  a handsome  public  square  of  five  acres, 
on  the  east  side  of  which  is  an  elegant  court- 
house. It  has  an  old-fashioned,  sturdy,  solid 
air  about  it,  and  has  always  been  a place  of  im- 
portance as  the  centre  of  a large  and  fertile 
grain  and  grazing  district.  It  has  8 or  10 
churches,  half  a dozen  large  hotels,  an  academy, 
state  arsenal,  paper-mill,  etc.,  etc.  It  is  the 
seat  of  Alleghany  College,  which  was  founded 
in  1816,  and  since  1833  has  been  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
The  Western  Theological  Seminary,  under  the 
direction  of  the  Unitarians,  founded  in  1844,  is 
located  here.  In  1753,  Governor  Dinwiddie,  of 
Virginia,  sent  George  Washington  on  a special 
mission  to  the  French  fort  on  Venango  River 
(now  French  Creek)  to  protest  against  the  cru- 
elties the  French  and  Indians  practiced  on  the 
settlers  from  Virginia  in  this  section  of  country. 
Washington  and  his  companion  suffered  incred- 
ible hardships,  narrowly  escaping  drowning  in 
the  Alleghany  River,  freezing  to  death,  and  be- 
ing scalped  by  the  treacherous  Indians.  Wash- 
ington’s journal  of  this  expedition  was  sent  by 
Governor  Dinwiddie  to  England,  and  there  pub- 


lished. The  officer  in  command  of  the  French 
fort  on  Venango  River  gave  a glowing  account, 
in  a letter  to  General  Montcalm,  of  a solemn 
gathering  of  the  Indians  in  this  region.  After 
the  great  chief  had  recited  the  conquests  and 
heroism  of  his  ancestors,  a torch  was  applied  to 
the  oil  on  the  river,  and  as  the  flames  burst 
forth  the  Indians  gave  triumphant  shouts.  Here 
was  perpetuated  the  ancient  fire-worship  of  the 
East,  and  these  worshipers  the  children  of  the 
Sun.  The  word  Venango  is  a corruption  of  the 
Indian  word  Qu-nun-gah,  which  had  some  ref- 
erence to  a figure  carved  upon  a tree,  which  the 
Senecas  found  here  when  they  first  came  to  this 
region.  In  Meadville  are  erected,  and  in  course 
of  construction,  the  principal  work-shops  of  the 
Company,  and  a large  number  of  dwellings  for 
the  operatives.  The  Company  have  secured  at 
this  point  a large  quantity  of  land. 

Saegertown  (Cincinnati,  351  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 97  miles),  a small  station  in  Crawford 
^county  of  about  500  inhabitants.  From  this 
station  to  Salamanca  there  is  much  forest  land, 
and  tjae  resources  of  the  country  are  but  partial- 
ly developed. 

Venango  (Cincinnati,  356  miles ; Salamanca, 
92  miles),  quite  a thriving  town,  with  a popu- 
lation of  1200,  in  Crawford  county.  Eight 
miles  from  the  station  is  the  large  town  of 
Rockville. 

Cambridge  (Cincinnati,  360  miles ; Sala- 
manca, 88  miles),  a place  of  considerable  im- 
portance in  Crawford  county,  with  2000  inhab- 
itants. 

Miller’s  (Cincinnati,  363  miles ; Salaman- 
ca, 85  miles).  The  last  station,  going  east,  in 
Crawford  county. 

Mill  Village  (Cincinnati,  369  miles  ; Sala- 
manca, 79  miles),  in  Erie  county.  The  Phila- 
delphia and  Erie  road  runs  directly  alongside 
the  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  from  this  sta- 
tion to  Corry. 

Union  (Cincinnati,  376  miles ; Salamanca, 
72  miles),  in  Erie  county. 

Concord  (Cincinnati,  382  miles ; Salaman- 
ca, 66  miles),  a small  village  in  Erie  county. 
This  county  forms  the  northwestern  extremity 
of  Pennsylvania,  bordering  on  New  York,  Ohio, 
and  Lake  Erie.  Population,  54,000.  Grain, 
maple-sugar,  lumber,  and  dairy  products  are  the 
staples.  Iron  is  the  principal  mineral;  slate 
and  sandstone  underlie  much  of  the  surface. 

Corry  (Cincinnati,  387  miles ; Salamanca, 
61  miles),  connect  with  the  Philadelphia  and 
Erie  and  Oil  Creek  Railroads — an  important 
point  for  forwarding  oil,  and  receiving  mer- 
chandise and  machinery  for  the  oil  regions. 
Here  are  the  Downer  Oil  Refinery  Works,  con- 
taining iron  tanks  which  hold  10,000  barrels  of 
oil.  In  1860  the  site  of  Corry  was  a forest, 
not  a house  to  be  seen.  Now  there  are  three 
churches,  a number  of  hotels,  and  4000  inhabit- 
ants. In  Erie  county. 

Columbus  (Cincinnati,  390  miles;  Salaman- 
ca, 58  miles)  has  some  800  inhabitants,  and  is 
the  first  station  going  east  in  Warren  county, 


LIbrArV 

UNIVERSITY  OF 


12 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


which  forms  part  of  the  great  oil  region  of  Penn- 
sylvania. There  are  large  forests  of  excellent 
timber  in  this  county. 

Pine  Valley  (Cincinnati,  395  miles ; Sala- 
manca, 53  miles),  in  Warren  county. 

Bear  Lake  (Cincinnati,  398  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 50  miles).  The  last  station  going  east 
in  Pennsylvania. 

Panama  (Cincinnati,  400  miles ; Salamanca, 
48  miles),  in  Chautauqua  county,  New  York. 
Town  of  same  name  distant  2 miles.  Popu- 
lation, 1200. 

Ashville  (Cincinnati,  407  miles ; Salaman- 
ca, 41  miles).  Quite  an  enterprising  town,  in 
Chautauqua  county,  now  numbering  10Q0  or 
1200  inhabitants. 

Jamestown  (Cincinnati,  414  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 34  miles),  connect  with  steamer  on 
Chautauqua  Lake  for  Maysville  and  points  on 
the  Lake  shore — an  important  manufacturing 
and  shipping  point;  is  situated  on  the  north 
side  of  the  outlet  of  Chautauqua  Lake,  in  Chau- 
tauqua county,  and  has  some  5000  inhabitants. 
Chautauqua  Lake  is  a beautiful  sheet  ofvwater, 
25  miles  long,  and  from  one  to  five?  miles  wide. 
It  is  said  to  be  the  highest  navigable  water  on 
the  continent,  being  1290  feet  above  the  Atlan- 
tic and  730  feet  above  Lake  Erie.  Its  outlet, 
which  is  navigable  by  small  boats,  opens  into 
Alleghany  River  — called  the  Ohio  by  the  In- 
dians. The  name  Chautauqua  is  a corruption 
of  an  Indian  phrase  signifying  a “foggy  place,” 
and  was  given  in  consequence  of  the  mists  which 
frequently  rise  from  the  surface  of  the  lake. 
There  is  a pleasant  route  to  the  Lake  Shore 
Line  at  Westfield  (57  miles  east  of  Buffalo), 
via  steam-boat  on  the  Chautauqua  Lake,  from 
Jamestown  to  Maysville,  21  miles,  and  thence 
by  coach,  7 miles,  to  the  railway.  This  route 
is  much  frequented  in  the  summer  months.  By 
means  of  Conewango  Creek,  which  falls  into  the 
Alleghany,  there  is  a boat  navigation  from  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  to  within  10  miles  of  Lake  Erie. 
Population  of  county,  60,000.  Iron  ore,  mar- 
ble, also  sulphur  springs,  have  been  found  in 


several  places.  There  are  springs  emitting  car- 
bonated hydrogen,  and  the  gas  from  one  of  these, 
near  Eredonia,  has  been  successfully  employed 
in  lighting  the  streets  of  the  village,  and  for 
domestic  purposes.  Eleven  large  towns  are 
tributary  to  the  Jamestown  station. 

Levant  (Cincinnati,  418  miles;  Salamanca, 
30  miles).  In  Chautauqua  county. 

Poland  (Cincinnati,  421  miles ; Salamanca, 
27  miles).  In  Chautauqua  county. 

Kennedy  (Cincinnati,  423  miles ; Salaman- 
ca, 25  miles).  A prosperous  town  in  Chautau- 
qua county  of  some  1200  inhabitants.  The 
town  of  Ellington,  with  a population  of  1200,  is 
but  a short  distance  from  this  station. 

Waterboro’  (Cincinnati,  425  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 23  miles),  the  last  station,  going  east, 
in  Chautauqua  county. 

Randolph  (Cincinnati,  430  miles ; Salaman- 
ca, 18  miles).  A branch  of  the  Atlantic  and 
Great  Western  is  now  being  constructed  from 
this  point  to  Buffalo,  and  it  is  expected  to  be 
completed  in  1866.  Randolph  has  already  about 
1500  inhabitants,  and  is  improving  rapidly.  In 
Cattaraugus  county.  Rutledge,  with  a popula- 
tion of  500,  is  near  this  station. 

Steamburg  (Cincinnati,  436  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 12  miles).  In  Cattaraugus  county. 

Cold  Spring  (Cincinnati,  438  miles;  Sala- 
manca, 10  miles).  In  Cattaraugus  county. 

Red  House  (Cincinnati,  441  miles ; Sala- 
manca, 7 miles).  In  Cattaraugus  county. 

Salamanca  (Cincinnati,  448  miles).  Junc- 
tion of  the  Erie  Railway,  connecting  with  trains 
east  and  west.  In  Cattaraugus  county.  Pop- 
ulation of  county,  50,000.  Cattaraugus  Creek 
and  its  tributaries  flow  north  into  Lake  Erie, 
while  the  Alleghany  River,  with  its  tributaries 
in  the  south  part,  flow  toward  the  Gulf  of  Mex- 
ico. Cattle  and  lumber  are  extensively  export- 
ed. Peat,  marl,  bog-iron  ore,  manganese,  also 
sulphur  and  saline  springs,  are  found.  The 
Genesee  Valley  Canal  extends  from  Rochester 
to  Olean.  Petroleum  springs  exist  in  the  east 
part  of  the  county. 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


13 


STATIONS  ON  THE  CLEVELAND  BRANCH  OF  THE  ATLANTIC 
AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


Cleveland  (Salamanca,  215  miles),  con- 
nect with  Cleveland  and  Toledo,  and  Cleveland, 
Columbus,  and  Cincinnati  railroads,  situated  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Cuyahoga  River,  and  the  coun- 
ty seat  of  Cuyahoga  county,  has  some  70,000 
inhabitants.  The  portion  of  the  city  bordering 
immediately  on  the  river  is  low,  the  greater 
part  is  built  on  a plain,  elevated  about  80  feet 
above  the  lake,  of  which  it  has  a very  command- 
ing prospect.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
cities  in  the  Union,  and  much  taste  is  displayed 
in  the  private  dwellings.  The  location  is  dry 
and  healthy.  Near  the  centre  is  a public  square 
of  10  acres,  inclosed  and  shaded  with  trees.  The 
harbor  of  Cleveland  is  one  of  the  best  on  Lake 
Erie.  It  is  formed  by  the  mouth  of  the  Cuya- 
hoga River  and  improved  by  a pier  on  each  side, 
extending  425  yards  into  the  lake,  200  feet  apart, 
and  faced  with  substantial  stone  masonry.  The 
beacon  on  the  pier  is  visible  for  a distance  of 
Hi  miles.  The  light-house  at  the  entrance  of 
the  harbor  shows  a fixed  light,  elevated  150  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  lake,  and  is  visible  for 
a distance  of  18i  miles.  Cleveland  derives  its 
name  from  General  Moses  Cleveland,  an  agent 
of  the  Connecticut  Land  Company,  who  accom- 
panied the  first  surveying  party  upon  the  West- 
ern Reserve.  The  city  plot  was  surveyed  under 
his  direction  in  1796.  The  population  in  1799 
consisted  of  one  family.  The  city  is  supplied 
with  water  raised  from  the  lake  by  steam.  The 
tonnage,  ship-building,  and  foreign  commerce 
of  Cleveland  have  about  doubled  in  the  last 
seven  years.  The  foreign  commerce  is  mostly 
with  Canada,  to  which  is  exported  a large  amount 
of  the  produce  of  Ohio  ; such  as  coal,  flour,  pork, 
lard,  etc.  Immediately  south  and  east  of  Cleve- 
land five  counties  yielded,  in  1857,  20,000,000 
bushels  of  coal.  In  one  or  two  of  these  coun- 
ties is  also  produced  iron  of  the  best  varieties. 
These  mines  are  being  developed  and  furnaces 
erected.  Churches  and  schools  are  numerous ; 
and  there  are  three  daily  newspapers.  It  is 
estimated  that  over  a million  passsengers  pass 


through  this  place  over  the  different  railroads 
annually.  The  following  railroads  centre  at 
this  point : Cleveland  and  Toledo,  Cleveland 
and  Erie,  Cleveland,  Columbus,  and  Cincinnati, 
Atlantic  and  Great  Western,  and  the  Cleveland 
aqd  Pittsburg. 

Newburg  (Cleveland,  7 miles;  Salamanca, 
208  miles),  situated  on  Mill  Creek,  in  Cuyahoga 
county,  where  is  a waterfall  affording  extensive 
water  power.  Cuyahoga  county  borders  on  Lake 
Erie,  and  is  intersected  by  the  Cuyahoga  River, 
from  which  it  derives  its  name.  It  rises  in  the 
central  part  of  Geauga  county,  and  runs  south- 
westerly through  Portage  county,  where  it  grad- 
ually turns  and  proceeds  through  Summit  and 
Cuyahoga  counties  in  a direction  north  by  north- 
west to  its  entrance  into  Lake  Erie  at  Cleveland. 
Its  whole  length  is  over  60  miles,  and  it  is  one 
of  the  most  important  rivers  in  Northern  Ohio. 
It  has  a number  of  falls,  which  afford  excellent 
mill  seats,  and  it  is  less  affected  by  drought  in 
the  summer  than  most  other  streams.  The 
Ohio  canal  runs  along  the  valley  of  this  river 
about  35  miles,  to  near  Akron,  and  crosses  it  in 
an  aqueduct  at  Boston,  23  miles  south  of  Cleve- 
land. Sandstone  is  abuadant  in  this  county,  and 
is  much  used  for  grindstones  and  for  building. 

Plank  Road  (Cleveland,  12  miles;  Salaman- 
ca, 203  miles),  in  Cuyahoga  county. 

Solon  (Cleveland,  17  miles;  Salamanca,  198 
miles),  in  Cuyahoga  county. 

Aurora  (Cleveland,  24  miles ; Salamanca, 
191  miles),  population,  800 ; in  Portage  county. 

Mantua  (Cleveland,  31  miles;  Salamanca, 
184  miles),  in  Portage  county. 

Garrettsville  (Cleveland,  38  miles ; Sala- 
manca, 177  miles),  in  Portage  county. 

Windham  (Cleveland,  41  miles ; Salamanca, 
174  miles),  in  Portage  county. 

Braceville  (Cleveland,  46  miles ; Salaman- 
ca, 169  miles),  in  Trumbull  county. 

Leavittsburg  (Cleveland,  50  miles ; Sala- 
manca, 165  miles),  connect  with  main  line,  and 
with  the  Mahoning  branch. 


14 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


STATIONS  ON  THE  MAHONING  BRANCH  OF  THE  ATLANTIC 
AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


Leavittsburg  (Youngstown,  17  miles),  con- 
nect with  main  line,  and  with  Cleveland  branch. 

Niles  (Leavittsburg,  8 miles ; Youngstown, 
9 miles),  in  Trumbull  county. 

Girard  (Leavittsburg,  12  miles;  Youngs- 
town, 5 miles),  in  Trumbull  county. 

Brier  Hill  (Leavittsburg,  14  miles;  Youngs- 
town, 3 miles),  in  Mahoning  county. 

Youngstown  (Leavittsburg,  17  miles),  con- 
nect with  stages  for  Newcastle,  Poland,  Lowell, 
Enon  Yailey,  etc.  A prosperous  manufacturing 
town  of  4000  inhabitants,  situated  in  Mahoning 
county,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  coal-fields  of 
Ohio.  Population  of  county,  26,000.  Coal  and 
iron  are  found  in  abundance.  Here  are  large 


iron-works,  supplied,  via  the  Cleveland  branch, 
with  ore  from  Lake  Superior  for  smelting. 
Sharon,  Newcastle,  Lowell,  and  Mahoning- 
town  are  all  manufacturing  towns  and  tributary 
to  Youngstown.  Good  coal  banks  underlie 
nearly  all  of  this  region.  The  Lawrence  Rail- 
road is  now  nearly  completed,  which  will  con- 
nect with  the  Cleveland  Branch  at  Youngstown, 
thus  furnishing  a new  and  short  route  between 
Cleveland  and  Pittsburg,  and  with  the  Pittsburg 
and  Connelsville  and  Metropolitan  Branch  of 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  road  completed,  will 
shorten  the  distance  between  Cleveland  and 
Washington  City  84  miles,  compared  with  the 
present  route  by  Harrisburg. 


STATIONS  ON  THE  FRANKLIN  AND  OIL  CITY  BRANCH 
OF  THE  ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN  RAILWAY. 


Meadville  (Oil  City,  35  miles). 

Meadville  Junction  (Meadville,  3 miles; 
Oil  City,  32  miles). 

Shaw’s  Landing  (Meadville,  6 miles;  Oil 
City,  29  miles) 

Cochranton  (Meadville,  II  miles;  Oil  City, 
24  miles). 

Utica  (Meadville,  19  miles;  Oil  City,  16 
miles),  situate  in  Venango  county.  This 
county  forms  the  centre  of  the  great  oil  bus- 
iness of  Pennsylvania.  Population  of  county, 
30,000.  The  surface  is  very  hilly,  a large  part 
of  the  county  being  traversed  by  spurs  df  the 
Alleghany  mountains.  The  soil  along  the 
streams  is  fertile.  Iron  ore  and  bituminous 
coal  are  very  abundant,  and  there  are  traces 
of  silver  mines.  It  is  drained  by  the  Alleghany 
River,  French  Creek  or  Venango  River,  and 
Tionesta,  Oil,  Sugar,  and  Sandy  creeks. 

Franklin  (Meadville,  28  miles ; Oil  City,  7 
miles),  the  county  seat  of  Venango  county,  at 
the  junction  of  French  Creek  and  Alleghany 
River.  Small  steamboats  run  between  Frank- 
lin and  Pittsburg.  Population,  5000.  Frank- 
lin contains  a court-house,  an  academy,  two 
newspaper  offices,  two  banks,  and  a private 
banking-house ; a barrel  factory  turns  out  250 
barrels  per  day.  There  are  two  flouring  mills, 
and  sevei-al  extensive  machine  shops.  The 
town  was  laid  out  in  1795,  on  the  site  of  Fort 
Franklin.  The  derricks  of  oil  wells  strike  the 
eye  at  every  turn.  An  incredible  amount  of 
business  is  transacted  at  the  Register’s  office  in 
this  place,  reaching  one  million  of  dollars  per 
day  in  the  transfer  of  leases  alone. 

Reno  (Meadville,  33  miles ; Oil  City,  2 
miles),  connect  with  Reno,  Oil  Creek,  and 


Pithole  Railroad.  From  its  central  location, 
and  beautiful  and  healthy  site,  is  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  inviting  points  for  business  or 
family  residence  to  be  found  among  the  oil  re- 
gions of  Pennsylvania.  It  is  situated  in  Venan- 
go county,  on  the  Alleghany  River,  near  the 
head  of  navigation.  The  railroad  company 
has  erected  extensive  warehouses  at  this  point, 
which  has  given  a great  impetus  to  business  of 
all  descriptions.  The  Reno,  Pithole,  and  Oil 
Creek  Railroad  affords  ready  means  of  commu- 
nication with  Pithole,  Oil  Creek,  and  Cherry 
Run,  which  greatly  enhances  the  value  of  the 
place. 

Oil  City  (Meadville,  35  miles),  connect  with 
Pithole  and  Oil  City  Railroad.  In  Venango 
county,  and  located  on  the  Alleghany  River,  at 
mouth  of  Oil  Creek,  which  rises  in  the  north- 
western part  of  Pennsylvania.  Oil  Creek  by 
name  is  as  old  as  the  Indian  traditions  extend, 
and  derives  its  name  from  a spring  from  which 
large  quantities  of  bituminous  oil  was  obtained 
— the  Indians  valuing  it  highly.  It  is  now 
claimed  that  when,  by  treaty,  the  Seneca  na- 
tion sold  the  western  part  of  the  State  they 
made  a reservation  around  this  spring  of  one 
mile  square. ' For  about  a mile  above  Oil  City, 
on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  stream,  the  bank 
rises  in  an  abrupt  bluff,  at  the  foot  of  which  a 
very  substantial  road  has  been  constructed.  The 
city  is  built  on  the  flats  that  run  along  the  base 
of  the  high  bluffs,  and  has  but  one  street.  Di- 
rectly across  the  creek,  on  Cottage  Hill,  have 
been  erected  fine  cottages.  Population,  10,000. 
The  Pithole  and  Oil  City  Railroad  is  now  com- 
pleted, and  connects  with  the  Atlantic  and  Great 
Western  road  at  this  point. 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


15 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


STREET  VIEW  IN  OIL  CITY. 


When  the  treasures  of  California  were  dis- 
covered thousands  rushed  to  its  golden  shores. 
The  wilderness  of  the  great  West  teemed  with 
life,  and  the  gulches  were  compelled  to  give  up 
their  treasures,  long  hidden  from  the  eye  of  man. 
The  American  mines  were  no  sooner  opened  than 
Australia  was  overrun  with  eager  adventurers 
seeking  for  gold.  Gold  having  been  found  in 
other  parts  of  the  world,  skeptics  on  the  subject 
have  ceased  to  exist,  and  the  golden  mines  of 
the  eastern  and  western  hemispheres  have  be- 
come realities. 

But  there  is  a mineral  substance  more  precious 


than  silver  or  gold,  the  occurrence  and  profitable 
discovery  of  which  geology  alone  is  able  to  de- 
termine. That  substance  is  coal.  Yet  when 
coal  was  discovered  many  predicted  the  almost 
immediate  failure  of  the  supply  ; but  as  civiliza- 
tion overspread  the  land,  removing  our  forests 
of  heavy  timber,  thus  decreasing  the  supply  of 
the  only  fuel  we  then  had,  Nature  came  to  our 
assistance  and  disclosed  to  us  the  vast  coal-fields 
hidden  for  so  many  ages  beneath  the  earth.  The 
coal  “bubble”  has  never  “burst.”  New  fields 
are  being  discovered. 

Seemingly  not  satisfied  with  the  present  de- 


16 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


velopments  of  mineral  wealth  bestowed  on  us, 
Nature,  keeping  pace  with  the  necessities  of 
man,  suddenly  unfolds  another  wonder — Oil, 
Petroleum — which  now  comes  spouting  from 
the  bowels  of  the  earth,  from  inexhaustible 
basins  hidden  deep  down  amidst  the  sandstone 
rocks  below. 

Although  Nature  has  selected  the  nineteenth 
century  in  which  to  develop  her  great  resources 
in  the  article  of  petroleum,  yet  history  informs 
us  that  the  existence  of  “rock-oil”  was  known 
through  many  past  ages.  The  walls  of  Baby- 
lon were  built  with  brick,  cemented  with  hot 
bitumen  or  asphaltum,  which  was  found  in  Ju- 
dea, afterward  discovered  in  France,  and  in  the 
sand  rock  of  Albania.  This  asphaltum  is  black 
in  color,  brittle  and  solid,  and  when  heated  is 
reduced  to  a liquid  state.  It  finds  its  way  to 
the  surface  in  the  shape  of  a thick,  waxy  fluid, 
which  was  used  for  lubricating  purposes,  and  for 
the  calking  of  vessels.  In  the  Birmese  empire 
there  is  a mountain  where  over  five  hundred 
pits  have  been  sunk  for  the  collection  of  petro- 
leum, which  has  long  been  used  for  burning  pur- 
poses. It  is  also  found  on  the  shores  of  the 
Caspian,  where  it  oozes  through  a soft  soil  in 
the  form  of  vapor  or  gas,  and  is  led  through 
earthen  pipes,  and  employed  for  illuminating 
the  neighboring  towns  and  cities.  A very  light 
liquid  oil,  resembling  naphtha,  is  found  coming 
from  a spring  near  the  village  of  Amiano,  in 
the  State  of  Parma,  which  supplies  a sufficient 
quantity  to  illuminate  the  city  of  Genoa,  for 
which  purpose  it  is  employed. 

It  is  evident  that  the  supply  of  whale-oil  is 
fast  decreasing,  and  that  those  mighty  creatures 
of  the  deep  have  become  so  few  that  our  once 
immense  whale-fisheries  threaten  soon  to  be 
among  the  things  that  were.  During  the  past 
ten  or  twenty  years  the  demand  for  a burning 
oil  has  increased  so  rapidly  that  lard-oil  and 
burning-fluid  were  introduced.  But  these,  to- 
gether with  the  sperm-oil,  not  only  failed  to 
supply  the  increased  demand,  but  have  gradual- 
ly become  almost  extinct.  It  was  at  this  point 
that  there  was  disclosed  to  us,  at  our  thresholds, 
a never-failing  supply  of  burning  oil. 

The  most  celebrated  oil-wells  as  yet  discov- 
ered and  operated  on  the  American  continent 
are  located  in  the  western  part  of  Pennsylvania, 
principally  in  Venango,  Crawford,  and  Warren 
counties.  The  wells  next  of  note  are  found  in 
Western  Virginia  and  Eastern  Ohio;  and  re- 
cently wells  have  been  opened  in  the  States  of 
New  York,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  Michi- 
gan, also  in  Canada. 

It  has  been  said  that  petroleum  is  only  found 
within  a belt  running  diagonally  across  the  globe, 
varying  from  six  to  sixty  miles  in  width — sweep- 
ing across  through  the  centre  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  passing  over  the  western  part  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  and  the  eastern 
portion  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  and  so  on  down 
through  the  wilds  of  Tennessee.  That  there  is 
such  a belt  of  oil  lands  in  existence,  from  the 
present  developments,  is  not  doubted ; but  the 


assertion  that  no  oil  is  found  without  the  belt 
can  not  be  sustained  by  facts,  because  the  Ca- 
nadian wells  now  flowing  hundreds  of  barrels 
of  oil  are  located  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Erie, 
far  to  the  west  of  the  so-called  oil  belt. 

Oil  Creek,  which  has  become  celebrated  as 
the  site  of  the  richest  oil-producing  region  on 
earth  at  the  present  day,  is  a tortuous  mount- 
ain stream,  taking  its  rise  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  near  the  south 
line  of  Erie  County,  and,  with  its  tributaries, 
waters  Crawford  and  Warren  counties,  and 
after  a course  of  about  thirty  miles  through 
these  counties  empties  into  the  Alleghany  Riv- 
er seven  miles  above  the  town  of  Franklin. 
The  valley  through  which  Oil  Creek  takes  its 
course  is  narrow,  and  flanked  on  each  side  by 
high  and  rugged  hills,  on  the  top  of  which  are 
broad  fields  of  excellent  farming  land.  The 
scenery  on  Oil  Creek  at  one  time,  no  doubt, 
was  quite  picturesque ; but  now  the  bottom 
lands  are  dotted  with  tall  derricks,  wooden  en- 
gine-houses, and  iron  smoke-stacks,  out  of  which 
columns  of  black  smoke  roll  upward  to  the 
clouds.  The  pines  and  hemlock  are  cleared 
from  the  mountain  sides,  and  all  is  busy  life. 

Previous  to  the  developments  of  the  petrole- 
um discoveries  this  entire  region  supplied  the 
valleys  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  with  vast 
quantities  of  lumber.  Thousands  of  long  rafts 
found  their  way  out  into  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi rivers  during  the  spring  and  fall  freshets. 
The  extensive  lumber  saw-mills  of  Messrs.  Brew- 
er, Watson,  and  Co.  were  located  on  Oil  Creek, 
near  Titusville,  the  original  metropolis  of  Petro- 
lia.  Near  those  mills  oil  first  made  its  appear- 
ance in  large  quantities  in  this  country.  Half  a 
mile  below  Titusville  Oil  Creek  meets  its  princi- 
pal confluent,  Pine  Creek,  more  commonly  known 
now  as  the  East  Branch  of  Oil  Creek  ; and  the 
delta  of  these  two  streams  is  covered  with  old 
oil-pits,  which  occur  at  intervals  all  along  the 
creek  below  Titusville.  These  pits  are  sup- 
posed by  some  to  have  been  the  work  of  the 
French  during  their  occupancy  of  the  country 
in  1759,  on  account  of  being  located  almost  di- 
rectly between  the  French  forts  of  La  Boeuf  and 
Venango.  The  writer  is  inclined  to  believe 
that  these  pits  were  constructed  by  the  Indians 
long  before  the  appearance  of  the  white  man  in 
this  region  ; which  belief  is  sustained  by  the  fol- 
lowing circumstance  : In  sinking  a well  recently 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Titusville,  five  feet  be- 
neath the  spot  where  a tree  had  stood,  which, 
calculating  the  layers  of  its  yearly  growth,  must 
have  been  at  least  two  hundred  and  forty  years 
old,  was  found  a wooden  well  curb,  or  mouth,  of 
an  old  oil-pit  in  a good  state  of  preservation. 

The  land  of  this  entire  region  belonged  to  the 
“ Holland  Company,”  -who  obtained  it  in  lieu 
of  moneys  lent  to  Congress  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. It  was  divided  into  four-hundred-acre 
lots,  and  sold  at  a very  low  price ; but  so  many 
more  attractions  were  held  out  to  emigrants  by 
the  Western  States  at  that  time  that  this  Ve- 
nango region  was  almost  overlooked,  and  it  be- 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


18 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


came  settled  very  slowly.  In  the  year  1797 
Jonathan  Titus  and  Samuel  Kier  arrived  from 
the  east  and  entered  lands  in  this  region.  Mr. 
Titus  secured  a large  tract  of  many  hundred 
acres,  part  of  which  is  now  the  site  of  Titus- 
ville and  part  the  lands  belonging  to  the  “Ti- 
tus Estate  Petroleum  Company”  of  New  York. 
The  Hon.  John  Reynolds,  now  of  Meadville, 
with  his  father,  shortly  afterward  settled  at 
Cherry  Tree,  seven  miles  below ; and  not  long 
afterward  Hamilton  and  James  M'Clintock  set- 
tled on  Oil  Creek — the  former  at  what  is  now 
Petroleum  Centre,  and  the  latter  on  the  present 
site  of  M'Clintockville. 

Petroleum,  under  the  name  of  “ Seneca  oil” 
— so  called  from  the  tribe  of  Indians  of  that 
name  who  once  inhabited  the  country — became 
early  of  great  importance  to  the  settlers,  both 
as  a medicine  and  for  burning  and  lubricating 
purposes.  The  greater  portion  of  oil  was  ob- 
tained from  two  natural  springs.  One  of  these 
was  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Titus- 
ville, on  the  lands  now  owned  by  the  “ Watson 
Petroleum  Company”  of  New  York,  on  the  spot 
where  now  stands  the  old  “ Drake  Well.  ” The 
other  spring  was  on  the  farm  of  Hamilton 
M‘Clintock,  within  four  miles  of  the  mouth  of 
Oil  Creek. 

The  old  salt-wells  situated  on  the  Alleghany 
River,  near  the  town  of  Tarentum,  wei’e  owned 
by  the  father  of  Samuel  M.  Kier,  now  of  the 
city  of  Pittsburg.  About  two  years  after  the 
opening  of  these  salt-wells  oil  made  its  appear- 
ance upon  the  water  that  flowed  into  the  salt- 
kettles,  and  interfered  with  the  quality  of  the 
salt  to  such  an  extent  that  Mr.  Kier  at  one  time 
thought  of  abandoning  his  wells ; but  he  after- 
ward constructed  a canal  leading  into  the  river, 
into  which  he  passed  the  oil  from  the  water. 
The  oil  on  the  water  in  the  canal  and  river  be- 
came very  offensive  to  the  people  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  many  complaints  were  made.  One 
day  some  boys,  who  were  playing  near  the  canal 
with  matches,  accidentally  set  the  oil  on  fire, 
and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  the  village 
was  saved  from  burning. 

During  the  year  1853  Dr.  F.  B.  Brewer,  of 
the  firm  of  Brewer,  Watson,  and  Co.,  conceived 
the  idea  of  collecting  surface  oil  by  means  of 
absorbing  it  in  blankets,  and  wringing  the  oil 
out.  Great  quantities  were  collected  in  this 
novel  manner,  and  used  for  burning  purposes  in 
the  lumber  mills  of  the  Oil  Creek  region.  The 
oil  produced  from  the  oil  springs  became  so  nec- 
essary and  useful  as  to  suggest  the  formation 
of  an  oil  company  in  1854  called  the  “Penn- 
sylvania Rock-Oil  Company.”  This  was  the 
first  Oil  Company  ever  formed.  This  was  prior 
to  the  sinking  of  any  well,  or  before  such  a thing 
was  suggested. 

The  Pennsylvania  Rock-Oil  Company  pur- 
chased 100  acres  of  land  on  Oil  Creek,  below 
Titusville,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  the  sur- 
face oil.  This  project  was,  however,  soon  after 
abandoned,  and  the  original  Petroleum  Com- 
pany ceased  to  exist. 


Although  Professor  Silliman,  of  New  Haven, 
had  in  1854  analyzed  the  rock-oil,  and  pro- 
nounced upon  its  properties,  no  further  devel- 
opments of  any  importance  took  place  until  the 
winter  of  1857,  when  Colonel  E.  L.  Drake,  of 
Connecticut,  arrived  at  Titusville,  and  was  the 
first  man  who  attempted  to  bore  for  oil.  In 
December,  1857,  he  visited  Titusville,  examined 
the  oil  springs,  and  gave  the  subject  of  surface 
oil  a thorough  investigation.  He  soon  con- 
cluded that  rock-oil  could  be  obtained  by  sink- 
ing a well ; and  acting  upon  this,  he  in  com- 
pany with  James  M.  Townsend  and  E.  B.  Bow- 
ditch,  leased  the  lands  of  the  Pennsylvania  Rock- 
Oil  Company  for  the  term  of  twenty-five  years 
for  the  purpose  of  boring  for  oil.  The  opera- 
tions were  to  commence  the  following  spring. 
Soon  after  closing  this  lease,  Colonel  Drake  and 
friends  from  Connecticut  formed  a company  call- 
ed the  “ Seneca  Oil  Company”  for  the  purpose 
of  working  the  lands  and  sinking  wells  under 
the  management  and  control  of  Colonel  Drake. 
Early  in  the  spring  he  removed  his  family  to 
Titusville,  then  containing  not  over  one  hum 
dred  and  fifty  inhabitants.  He  first  informed 
himself  thoroughly  on  the  subject  of  boring,  and 
visited  the  salt-wells  on  the  Alleghany  River  for 
that  purpose,  where,  after  some  difficulty,  he 
employed  a man  who  agreed  to  sink  wells  for 
the  Seneca  Company;  but  he  and  others  to 
whom  he  had  applied  failed  to  keep  their  en- 
gagements, and  it  was  not  until  the  following 
spring  that  he  could  obtain  a suitable  person  to 
commence  the  well.  The  first  difficulty  en- 
countered was  the  surface  water,  which  would 
flow  into  the  well  and  undermine  the  earth,  and 
cause  it  to  cave  in.  In  sinking  the  well  it  was 
supposed  necessary  to  dig  to  the  first  rock ; but 
in  consequence  of  the  earth  caving  in  on  the 
workmen  so  frequently,  Colonel  Drake  invented 
the  iron  driving-pipe  and  mode  of  driving  which 
is  now  in  universal  use,  not  only  in  the  oil  re- 
gions, but  among  the  salt  borers.  He  was  obliged 
to  go  fifty  miles  to  a machine-shop  every  time 
his  tools  needed  repairing ; but  after  many  de- 
lays and  accidents,  on  the  29th  day  of  August, 
1859,  at  the  depth  of  69  feet  6 inches,  he  struck 
a vein  of  oil,  from  which  he  afterward  pumped 
at  the  rate  of  thirty-five  to  forty  barrels  per  day. 
This  is  now  known  as  the  Drake  Well,  and  was 
the  first  well  ever  sunk  for  oil,  and  the  first  pe- 
troleum ever  obtained  by  boring. 

Now  commenced  a scene  of  excitement  be- 
yond description.  The  Drake  Well  was  imme- 
diately thronged  with  visitors  arriving  from  the 
surrounding  country,  and  within  two  or  three 
weeks  thousands  began  to  pour  in  from  the 
neighboring  States.  Every  body  was  eager  to 
purchase  or  lease  oil  lands  at  any  price  demand- 
ed. Almost  in  a night  a wilderness  of  derricks 
sprang  up  and  covered  the  entire  bottom  lands 
of  Oil  Creek.  Merchants  abandoned  their  store- 
houses, farmers  dropped  their  plows,  lawyers  de- 
serted their  offices,  and  preachers  their  pulpits. 
The  entire  western  part  of  the  State  went  wild 
with  excitement. 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


19 


20 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


Very  soon  after  the  success  of  Colonel  Drake, 
Messrs.  Brewer,  Watson,  and  Co.  leased  the  farm 
of  Hamilton  M‘Clintock,  and  commenced  a well 
on  it,  which  was  successful  at  the  depth  of  70 
feet.  Then  followed  the  sinking  of  many  wells 
on  the  different  farms  on  Oil  Creek.  The  Barns- 
dell  Mead  and  Rouse  Well  was  opened  in  the 
spring  of  1860.  Then  the  Crosley  Well  in  April 
of  same  year.  During  this  summer  many  wells 
were  opened  in  the  vicinity  of  Tideoute  on  the 
Alleghany  River.  In  June,  1861,  A.  B.  Funk 
sunk  a well  470  feet  deep  on  the  M‘Illheny 
farm,  which  was  the  first  large  flowing  well. 
Then  followed  the  Brewer,  Watson,  and  Co. 
Well  on  the  G.  W.  M‘Clintock  farm,  the  Phil- 
lips Well  on  the  Tarr  farm,  the  Willard  Well 
on  the  H.  MUlintock  farm,  and  the  Rouse, 
Mitchell,  and  Brown  Well  on  the  Buchanan 
farm.  This  latter  well  flowed  a stream  of  oil 
without  pumping  equal  to  one  thousand  barrels 
per  day.  Thousands  of  barrels  of  oil  flowed 
into  the  creek  before  suitable  tanks  could  be  pre- 
pared to  receive  it. 

In  the  midst  of  the  excitement,  from  some 
cause  unknown,  the  gas  and  oil  from  this  well 
took  fire,  and,  as  described  by  an  eye-witness, 
columns  of  black  smoke  rolled  upward  into  the 
air,  the  blazing  oil  leaped  heavenward,  and,  fall- 
ing over  on  all  sides  from  the  fiery  jet,  formed 
a m’agnificent  fountain  of  liquid  fire.  The  sight 
was  awfully  grand,  but,  sad  to  relate,  nineteen 
human  beings  Ite re  burned  to  death.  Among 
them  was  Mr.  Rouse,  one  of  the  proprietors  of 
the  well.  Mr.  Rouse  lived  for  several  days  aft- 
er being  injured,  and  in  framing  his  will,  after 
making  certain  bequests,  left  to  the  County  of 
Warren  a handsome  sum,  to  be  applied  one  half 
for  road  purposes  and  one  half  to  the  poor  of 
the  county.  This  bequest  is  now  valued  at 
$150,000. 

The  next  large  flowing  well  opened  was  the 
Empire,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Funk  Well,  that 
flowed  3000  barrels  per  day.  The  Sherman 
Well  was  opened  in  April,  1862,  then  the  Noble 
and  Delemater  Well  in  May,  1863.  This  cele- 
brated well  was  commenced  in  1860,  and  was 
bored  to  the  depth  of  167  feet  and  abandoned. 
Mr.  Noble  went  further  down  the  creek  and  be- 
came interested  in  other  wells  on  the  Tarr  farm, 
but  in  the  spring  of  1863  he  recommenced  the 
work  on  his  old  well,  and  went  down  to  the 
depth  of  471  feet  without  having  any  indications 
of  oil.  At  that  depth  he  concluded  to  tube  and 
pump,  abandoning  the  idea  of  obtaining  a flow- 
ing well,  but  to  the  great  astonishment  of  him- 
self and  every  one  else,  after  pumping  a very 
short  time,  suddenly  the  great  Noble  Well  com- 
menced to  flow.  Long  before  the  opening  of 
this  well  petroleum  had  become  so  plenty  that 
most  of  the  pumping  wells  were  abandoned. 
Every  person  wanted  a flowing  well. 

Samuel  M.  Kier,  of  Pittsburg,  was  the  first 
man  who  refined  the  crude  oil,  and  to  him  we 
are  indebted  for  this  discovery.  W.  H.  Abbott, 
of  Titusville,  erected  the  first  large  refinery  at 
that  place,  which  was  before  the  days  of  rail- 


roads in  that  region.  The  heavy  iron  castings 
and  machinery  were  brought  in  wagons  from 
Union  Mills  and  Franklin,  through  mud  axle- 
deep.  Parties  interested  with  him  became  dis- 
heartened, and  would  have  abandoned  the  en- 
terprise had  it  not  been  for  the  energy  of  Mr. 
Abbott,  who  finally  succeeded  in  completing  his 
building. 

Brewer,  Watson,  and  Co.  were  really  the  great 
pioneers  in  the  introduction  of  petroleum  in 
large  quantities.  This  'enterprising  firm  ex- 
pended the  sum  of  $750,000  in  cash  for  barrels 
alone  before  they  realized  one  cent  of  profit. 
All  they  required  was  the  actual  cost  of  the 
barrel.  They  have  lived  to  reap  a rich  harvest 
from  their  arduous  efforts  in  the  introduction  of 
petroleum,  and  have  been  handsomely  repaid 
for  the  hardships  and  trials  through  which  they 
have  passed.  During  the  summer  of  1861,  Sa- 
muel Downer,  of  Boston,  established  a branch 
of  his  works  and  commenced  the  refining  of  oil 
at  Corry,  and  gave  his  entire  attention  to  the 
business,  and  during  that  year  his  refinery  ab- 
sorbed nearly  all  of  the  oil  product.  George  M. 
Mowbray,  agent  for  Scheifflin  and  Co.,  of  New 
York,  made  the  first  extensive  purchase  of  pe- 
troleum for  shipment.  Messrs.  Drake,  Wat- 
son, Brewer,  Kier,  Abbott,  Mowbray,  Downer, 
the  firm  of  Brewer,  Watson,  and  Co.,  and  others, 
exerted  their  utmost  endeavors  to  introduce  the 
article,  and  to  create  a demand  equal  to  the 
supply ; but  before  this  could  be  accomplished 
oil  at  the  wells  was  offered  for  sale  at  prices 
ranging  from  ten  to  fifty  cents  per  barrel,  and 
thousands  of  gallons  were  allowed  to  run  into 
the  creek. 

The  only  pumping  wells  opened  at  an  early 
day,  and  not  abandoned  but  worked  until  the 
present  time,  are  the  celebrated  Economite  W ells, 
located  opposite  the  town  of  Tideoute,  on  the 
Alleghany  River,  in  Warren  County,  Penn- 
sylvania. These  wells  are  four  in  number,  and 
are  each  now  pumping  30  barrels  of  oil  per  day. 
Many  persons  at  the  present  time,  in  passing 
through  the  oil  regions,  wonder  at  the  number 
of  abandoned  wells  to  be  seen.  These  wells 
were  not  abandoned  because  the  borex-s  failed  to 
discover  oil,  but  simply  because  it  did  not  pay  to 
operate  them  when  oil  was  so  plenty  and  cheap 
and  no  great  demand  existed  for  it. 

The  entire  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania,  Vii- 
ginia,  and  Ohio  were  consequently  nearly  de- 
serted, and  the  then  so-called  “ oil  bubble”  ex- 
ploded. Most  of  those  who  had  taken  leases 
and.  had  opened  wells  removed  the  tubing,  and 
sold  their  engines,  tools,  etc.,  and  retii’ed  from 
the  oil  ti’ade  disgusted  with  their  enterprise,  and, 
no  doubt,  much  displeased  with  themselves,  re- 
turning  to  their  deserted  homes  to  be  ridiculed 
by  the  knowing  ones,  who  “always  said  the  un- 
dertaking would  prove  a failui’e.” 

Much  time,  however,  did  not  elapse  before  a 
new  demand  for  petroleum  was  ci'eated,  and 
once  moi*e  thousands  poured  into  the  oil  regions; 
and  to-day  the  use  of  petroleum  is  universal ; 
and  for  a cheap  and  perfect  burning  oil  it  has 


Cats,  Jacob*  / Self-stryt 


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THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


22 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


no  equal.  The  old  wells  are  being  opened,  and 
new  ones  going  down  every  day.  The  Alle- 
ghany River,  and  its  great  northern  tributaries, 
are  no  more  crowded  with  long  rafts  of  lumber 
floating  with  the  current  to  the  Western  cities. 
Saw-mills  have  given  place  to  oil  refineries  and 
producing  wells.  Tow-boats,  filled  with  barrels 
of  petroleum,  take  the  place  of  lumber -rafts. 
Villages  have  suddenly  grown  into  cities.  The 
iron  horse  rushes  with  lightning  speed  around 
the  base  of  the  mountain  and  down  the  valley  of 
oil.  Rich  farms  are  laid  waste.  The  plow  turns 
no  more  furrows.  The  scythe  cuts  no  more 
bending  grain.  The  farmer’s  barns  are  no  more 
loaded  down  with  the  fruitful  harvest.  The 
farmer  himself,  with  his  homespun  clothes,  is 
seen  no  more  in  the  fields.  All  is  changed! 
The  farm  is  sold  ! The  old  man  and  his  grown- 
up sons  are  worth  millions,  and  the  old  home- 
stead is  deserted  forever. 

Throughout  the  civilized  world  Petroleum 
stands  among  the  foremost  of  all  useful  and  de- 
sirable substances,  and  the  Greasy  Monarch  takes 
his  place  beside  Corn  and  Cotton  as  a great  me- 
dium of  exchange  between  the  United  States 
and  foreign  countries.  It  was  not  uptil  the  fall 
of  1860  that  sufficient  quantities  were  produced 
to  give  it  a place  and  a quotation  in  the  markets, 
although  a large  quantity  had  been  shipped  to 
different  points,  both  in  this  country  and  Eu- 
rope, for  the  purpose  of  introducing  the  new 
illuminator.  Among  others  who  took  a lively 
interest  in  the  oil  discoveries  was  James  M‘Hen- 
ry,  Esq.,  of  London,  who  sent  for  a large  num- 
ber of  packages,  and  distributed  them  in  England 
and  upon  the  Continent.  It  was  a slow  process 
to  introduce  the  article  at  all,  and  especially  to 
persuade  the  dealers  and  consumers  of  whale-oil 
that  petroleum  would  soon  supersede  all  other 
oils.  The  foreign  demand,  however,  increased, 
and  the  exports  during  1861  reached  27,812 
barrels;  in  1862,  168,000  barrels;  in  1863, 
706,267  barrels.  The  opening  of  the  Atlantic 
and  Great  Western  Railway,  in  1863,  increased 
the  amount,  by  conveying  to  the  exporting  cities 
large  quantities  that  had  been  stored  in  tanks, 
this  road  alone  transporting  that  year  533,487 
barrels.  The  exports  for  1864  were  776,205 
barrels,  this  road  transporting  675,028  barrels. 
The  exports  for  1865,  from  Jan.  1 to  Nov.  11, 
were  543,019  barrels.  The  production  of  crude 
petroleum  from  March  3,  1865,  to  January  1, 
1866,  was  as  follows  : Venango  County  region, 
1,020,126  barrels;  Western  Virginia,  13,666; 
Ohio,  10,676;  Kentucky,  2405.  It  will  be 
seen  from  these  figures  that  nine-tenths  of  all 
the  oil  produced  in  the  United  States  comes 
from  Venango  County.  There  appear  to  be 
certain  sections  that  Nature  has  set  apart  ex- 
clusively as  deposits  for  coal,  iron,  gold,  silver, 
and  other  minerals,  which  she  has  denied  to 
other  localities ; and  Venango  County,  above 
all  other  places  in  this  country,  is  the  chief  de- 
posit for  oil.  This  has  proved  to  be  the  case 
thus  far,  and  there  is  every  indication  that  the 
future  discoveries  will  exceed  the  past,  as  the 


county  has  not  yet  been  one-tenth  developed. 
The  reckless  spirit  of  speculation  has  nearly  ex- 
hausted itself ; and  the  increased  facilities  for 
communication  and  transportation  mark  a new 
era.  The  great  drawback  to  legitimate  business 
in  the  oil  regions  has  been  the  discomforts  of 
living.  Now  an  effort  is  being  made  to  build  a 
town,  which  shall  not  only  be  the  metropolis  of 
the  Petroleum  Country,  but  its  most  beautiful 
and  attractive  city.  Reno — a name  well  known 
in  America  as  that  of  the  brave  General  Reno, 
who  fell  at  the  battle  of  South  Mountain — is  the 
centre  of  Venango  County,  and  geographically 
speaking,  the  heart  of  the  great  oil  district.  It 
possesses  all  the  facilities  of  water  communica- 
tion with  Pittsburg,  and  rail  communication 
with  the  whole  oil  region  and  to  all  parts  of  the 
country.  It  is  now  destined  to  be  the  metrop- 
olis. The  trade  arising  from  the  production 
and  refining  of  petroleum  is  the  most  important 
business  of  several  cities  in  Pennsylvania,  Ohio, 
and  New  York,  and  affords  employment  and 
support  for  a hundred  thousand  people.  The 
large  portion  of  this  business  thus  thrown  into 
other  cities  will,  with  proper  enterprise,  be  re- 
tained in  Venango  County.  The  crude  oil  will 
be  refined  in  the  region  that  produces  it ; the 
engines  used  in  mining  will  be  manufactured 
here,  and  so  on  through  the  long  list  of  neces- 
sary articles.  All  the  material  for  these  various 
manufactures,  including  coal,  can  be  obtained 
here  more  cheaply  than  any  where  else.  Recog- 
nizing these  facts,  Hon.  Charles  V.  Culver  (mem- 
ber of  the  present  Congress  from  the  Venango 
District),  and  other  wealthy  business  men  asso- 
ciated with  him,  are  devoting  their  energies  in 
developing  this  rich  territory,  and  incidentally 
building  up  a city  that  shall  be  commensurate 
with  the  business  transacted  in  this  region. 
They  have  entered  upon  the  work  with  a wide 
and  comprehensive  view — not  as  a mere  specu- 
lation, but  as  a legitimate  business  ; and  there 
is  not  a particle  of  doubt  but  that  they  will  suc- 
ceed beyond  their  most  sanguine  anticipations. 
They  are  now  putting  down  fifty  wells  with  the 
same  deliberation,  business  calculation,  and  cer- 
tainty of  success  that  a coal  company  would  sink 
a shaft. 

The  natural  advantages  of  the  town  of  Reno 
are  very  great — superior  to  those  of  any  other 
point  in  the  oil  regions  ; and  it  is  the  centre  of 
a railway  system  that  includes  the  whole  of  the 
oil-producing  territory.  It  is  situated  upon  an 
elevated  plateau  overlooking  the  Alleghany 
River,  which  is  navigable  from  this  point  to 
Pittsburg.  Upon  the  river,  and  above  high- 
water,  there  is  a natural  levee  extending  the 
length  of  the  town.  From  the  levee  the  ground 
rises  abruptly  about  20  feet,  forming  a terrace, 
upon  which  are  laid  the  railway  tracks,  while 
the  warehouses  and  shipping  - yards  adjoin. 
Separated  from  these,  by  a broad  and  beautiful 
avenue,  the  town  is  laid  out  upon  a plateau, 
bending  like  a crescent  with  the  sweep  of  the 
river;  thence  rising  gradually  and  receding 
until  it  swells  into  the  hills  which  border  and 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


24 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


overlook  the  town.  These  hills  are  well  adapt- 
ed to  the  building  of  elegant  country  seats. 
From  their  summits  flow  streams  of  the  purest 
mountain-spring  water — enough  to  supply  the 
town  for  domestic  purposes,  and  protect  proper- 
ty against  fire.  Ground  has  been  set  apart  for 
schools,  churches,  and  other  public  purposes. 
There  are  already  many  substantial  private  and 
public  buildings,  and  others  in  progress  of  con- 
struction. It  has  already  one  of  the  best  news- 
papers in  that  section  of  country.  With  all 
these  natural  advantages,  the  centre  of  a sys- 
tem of  railroads,  located  in  the  heart  of  the  oil 
region,  and  fostered  by  men  of  business,  liberal- 
ity, taste,  and  wealth,  and  withal  public-spirit- 
ed, who  have  its  advancement  and  prosperity  at 
heart,  Reno  must  of  necessity  be  the  Oil  Me- 
tropolis of  America. 

The  plan  upon  which  the  Company  owning 
this  valuable  property  has  been  managed  is  wor- 
thy of  note.  They  accepted  the  doctrine  that 
Petroleum  was  a business,  and  not  a speculation, 
as  the  basis  of  their  action.  They  recognized  it 
as  a commanding  staple  in  American  commerce 
and  manufactures,  and  worthy  of  the  honor  paid 
to  gold  and  iron  and  silver.  They  wished  to 
avoid  the  suspicion  that  the  failure  of  many 
companies  had  thrown  upon  the  petroleum  bus- 
iness. They  desired  to  attract  good  men  to 
Reno,  and  at  the  same  time  impose  upon  them 
no  loss.  So  they  designed  the  singularly  novel 
plan  of  issuing  a Guaranteed  Stock.  This  was  a 
novelty  in  American  finance.  The  owner  of 
stock  had  every  chance  of  profit,  and  no  want 
of  security.  His  stock  became  a legal  tender 
oil  stock — a sight  draft  on  New  York,  collateral 
security  on  a loan,  as  convenient  as  a green- 
back, and  as  reliable  as  a Seven-Thirty.  Mr. 
Culver,  in  selling  the  lands,  offered  to  wait 
until  development  proved  their  value  before 
taking  his  money.  Accordingly,  for  every  share 
of  stock  sold — one  hundred  dollars — its  par  value 
was  placed  in  the  hands  of  trustees,  who  depos- 
ited it  in  the  United  States  Treasury,  or  invest- 
ed it  in  Government  securities. 

In  the  mean  time  the  work  of  development 
proceeded.  The  working  fund  was  fixed  at  five 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  the  largest  ever  held 
by  any  one  Company — larger,  indeed,  than  the 
capital  stock  of  most  companies.  The  territory 
had  room  for  one  thousand  wells,  without  inter- 
fering with  each  other.  The  test  wells  previous- 
ly sunk  had  shown  tha- existence  of  oil  in  every 
well  in  paying  quantities,  a result  that  no  other 
Company  had  shown.  Fifty  wells  were  at  once 
contracted  for,  and  arrangements  made  to  put 
down  three  hundred.  The  town  rapidly  ex- 
panded. The  town-lots  are  in  the  market, 
selling  rapidly,  and  trade  of  every  kind  is  ex- 
tremely active.  This  sensible  plan  of  manag- 
ing Petroleum  is  too  new  at  this  time  for  us  to 
speak  fully  of  its  results ; but  it  marks  an  era 
in  the  history  of  this  important  business,  which 
forever  places  it  above  the  reach  of  mere  spec- 
ulators, and  at  the  same  time  gives  Petroleum 
a permanent  Metropolis. 


A new  feature  in  the  oil  regions  is  the  trans- 
porting of  oil  through  pipes  long  distances.  The 
pipes  are  two  inches  in  diameter,  laid  just  below 
the  surface  of  the  ground.  The  oil  is  forced 
through  the  pipes  under  a pressure  of  from  50C 
to  600  pounds  per  square  inch.  The  elevatiofi 
to  the  highest  point  is  about  350  feet.  The 
quantity  of  oil  discharged  from  the  end  of  the 
pipe  is  between  twelve  and  fourteen  hundred 
barrels  in  twenty-four  hours.  The  cost  of  trans- 
portation is  $1  per  barrel;  cost  by  teams  in 
spring  and  fall  is  generally  $3  to  $3  50  per  bar* 
rel.  Messrs.  Reed  & Cogswell,  engineers,  of  6S 
Liberty  Street,  New  York,  have  built  the  pumps 
and  boilers,  and  put  in  successful  operation  two 
lines  0^  pipes  from  Pit  Hole  to  Miller  Farm,  a 
distance  of  about  six  miles.  They  have  also  fur- 
nished the  machinery  and  put  in  successful  oper- 
ation two  other  lines,  each  nine  miles  in  length. 

In  passing  through  the  oil  regions  of  Penn- 
sylvania one  is  struck  with  the  primitive  mode 
used  in  obtaining  oil.  Inferior  machinery  and 
exceedingly  small  engine^  are  used  in  most 
cases,  with  hardly  sufficient  power  to  raise  the 
sucker-rod  out  of  a deep  well.  Yet  wells  are 
worked  in  this  manner,  only  producing  from 
one  to  three,  or  perhaps  five,  barrels  of  oil. 
Often  they  entirely  fail  to  get  a drop  of  oil.  In 
such  cases  the  wells  are  abandoned  as  worth- 
less. At  the  same  time,  if  the  proper  machin- 
ery had  been  applied  with  more  powerful  en- 
gines, twice  or  thrice  the  yield  might  have  been 
obtained.  The  air-pump  is  a great  improve- 
ment, and  its  application  will  no  doubt  add  at 
least  thirty  per  cent,  to  the  yield  of  all  wells  to 
which  it  is  applied. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  Alleghany  River 
is  Cherry  Run,  on  which  stream  is  located  the 
great  Reed  Well.  In  January,  1865,  the  first 
large  flowing  well  was  struck  on  Pit-Hole  Creek, 
on  the  Holmden  Farm,  situated  four  miles  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Creek,  and  about  three  miles 
due  east  from  Funkville,  on  Oil  Creek.  In 
eighteen  months  a city  has  grown  up,  and  Pit- 
hole  is  now  the  terminus  of  two  railroads. 

The  oil  regions  are  dotted  here  and  there 
with  refineries,  where  the  crude  oil  is  distilled 
and  prepared  for  burning  purposes.  Many 
changes  have  taken  place,  and  vast  improve- 
ments made,  in  the  refineries  of  oil  since  the 
first  were  erected.  • 

In  sinking  a well  for  oil  many  curious  and 
wonderful  discoveries  have  been  made.  On  the 
lands  belonging  to  the  Story  and  M‘Clintock 
Petroleum  Company,  of  New  York,  located  on 
Caldwell’s  Creek,  near  Titusville,  in  sinking  a 
well  in  October  last  the  drillers  passed  through 
a layer  of  rock  four  feet  in  thickness,  at  the 
depth  of  forty  feet ; and  another  layer,  six  feet 
thick,  at  the  depth  of  fifty-six  feet ; and  at  the 
depth  of  seventy  feet,  after  passing  through  two 
thick  layers  of  hard  rock,  the  drill  passed  through 
a log  eighteen  inches  in  diameter. 

Oil  wells  are  put  down  to  a variety  of  depths, 
from  100  to  1100  feet.  The  mode  of  sinking  a 
well  is  as  follows:  After  the  spot  is  decided 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


26 


IMPLEMENTS  USED  IN  BOKING. 


1.  Temper-Screw.— 2.  Drill-Stem — 3.  Drill. — 4.  Reamer.— 5.  Round  Reamer.— 6.  Pipe-Tongs.— 7.  Jarr.— 8.  Sand-Pump. 


upon,  which  is  in  most  cases  in  the  lower  bot- 
tom lands,  a stake  is  driven  into  the  ground  at 
the  spot  where  the  bore  is  to  be  commenced. 
A derrick  is  built,  from  twelve  to  sixteen  feet 
square  at  the  base,  and  about  forty  feet  in 
height,  running  to  a point  at  the  top.  The 
engine-house  is  erected,  and  the  necessary  ma- 
chinery made  ready  within.  Sections  of  iron 
pipe,  six  inches  in  diameter,  are  then  driven 
into  the  ground,  by  means  of  a pile-driver,  un- 
til the  first  layer  of  rock  is  reached,  which,  in 
most  cases,  is  found  at  a depth  of  thirty-five 
or  forty  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
Great  care  is  taken  that  this  iron  pipe  is  driven 
plumb.  After  the  rock  is  reached,  and  the 
earth  within  the  pipe  is  removed,  a block  and 
tackle  is  rigged  at  the  top  of  the  derrick,  and 
the  drilling  tools,  weighing  in  some  cases  900 
pounds,  are  hoisted  up  and  dropped  into  the 
driving-pipe  down  to  the  rock.  A temper-screw 
is  then  attached  to  the  top  of  the  drill  by  means 
of  a rope,  and  made  fast  to  the  end  of  a walk- 
ing-beam. The  walking-beam  is  a heavy  hori- 
zontal piece  of  timber,  supported  in  the  centre 
by  a Samson-post.  The  other  end  of  the  walk- 


ing-beam connects  with  the  driving  pulley  by 
means  of  a crank.  The  engine  drives  the  pul- 
ley, the  end  of  the  walking-beam  rises  and  falls, 
and  thus  the  drill  is  raised  and  lowered  at  will. 
At  intervals,  during  the  process  of  drilling,  a 
tool  called  a “ Reamer”  is  inserted  in  the  well, 
and  the  bore  is  increased  to  the  proper  size.  A 
sand-pump  is  a metal  case  from  five  to  ten  feet 
in  length,  constructed  with  a valve  at  the  bot- 
tom. This  sand-pump  is  lowered  into  the  well 
at  intervals,  and  when  it  reaches  the  bottom 
the  valve  opens  and  admits  the  borings,  and 
when  the  pump  is  raised  the  valve  closes,  and 
the  contents  are  brought  to  the  surface.  After 
the  bore  is  thus  cleaned  the  drill  is  once  more 
inserted,  and  the  drilling  is  continued. 

In  boring  a well  a correct  journal  is  kept, 
showing  the  different  kinds  of  rock  and  earth 
passed  through,  and  the  exact  points  where  wa- 
ter-courses, gas,  or  shows  of  oil  are  found.  If 
a large  vein  of  oil  is  struck,  the  well  is  imme- 
diately tubed  with  a 2 or  2£  inch  iron  pipe,  put 
together  in  sections.  The  water  from  water- 
courses and  the  surface  water  is  prevented  from 
flooding  the  well  by  means  of  a leathern  bag, 


OIL  CITY. 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


27 


28 


THE  PETROLEUM  REGION  OF  AMERICA. 


called  a seed-bag,  filled  with  flax-seed,  which 
is  placed  on  the  outside  of  the  tubing  and  with- 
in the  earth  chamber  below  the  water-courses. 
When  the  flax-seed  becomes  saturated  with  wa- 
ter it  swells,  and  completely  shuts  off  all  com- 
munication with  the  bottom  of  the  well  on  the 
outside  of  the  tubing. 

If  the  vein  of  oil  struck  proves  to  be  large, 
and  the  pressure  of  gas  is  sufficient,  the  oil  will 
flow  out  without  the  aid  of  a pump ; but  in  most 
cases  a pump  is  required,  in  which  case  a cop- 
per working  barrel  is  placed  at  the  bottom  of 
the  well,  and  attached  to  the  lower  section  of 
the  tubing,  with  a valve  at  the  bottom.  The 
upper  valve  is  connected  with  a sucker-rod,  the 
end  of  which  is  attached  to  the  end  of  the  walk- 
ing-beam. The  tanks  or  tubs  to  receive  the  oil 
are  mostly  made  of  wooden  staves,  and  are  lo- 
cated at  some  distance  from  the  well,  and  are 
connected  with  it  by  means  of  iron  tubing  at- 
tached to  the  spout  of  the  pump,  and  through 
which  the  oil  flows. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  give  the  exact  cost 
of  sinking  and  completing  a well  at  this  time. 
Prices  vary  in  different  localities,  and  the  cost 
of  drilling  ranges  from  two  dollars  to  three  dol- 
lars and  a half  per  foot.  Including  all  of  the 
necessary  equipments,  the  present  cost  of  sink- 
ing a well  complete  would  be  between  five  and 
six  thousand  dollars. 

Naphtha,  the  lightest  variety  of  petroleum,  is 
found  in  Persia.  It  consists  of  carbon  82.20, 
and  hydrogen  14.80,  and  is  the  only  fluid  free 
from  oxygen.  The  next  variety  found  is  the  pe- 
troleum proper,  or  American  petroleum,  which 
is  a much  heavier  and  thicker  fluid.  Another 


variety  is  found,  called  maltha,  which  is  less 
fluid  than  petroleum,  resembling  tar  or  pitch. 
In  Derbyshire  is  found  still  another  variety, 
called  “elastic  bitumen,”  which  is  flexible  and 
elastic,  and  about  the  weight  of  water.  The 
last  variety,  called  “compact  bitumen”  or  as- 
phaltum,  is  black  in  color  and  solid  like  coal ; 
its  specific  gravity  is  1 to  1.6.  In  the  island 
of  Trinidad  is  a lake,  three  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence, that  is  now  one  solid  mass  of  black  com- 
pact bitumen,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been 
at  one  time  a lake  of  liquid  petroleum. 

No  positive  conclusions  have  yet  been  arrived 
at,  giving  any  correct  idea  of  how  deep  down  in 
the  earth  the  greater  basins  of  petroleum  are  to 
be  found.  The  oil  from  the  largest  flowing  and 
pumping  wells  so  far  discovered  is  obtained  from 
beneath  the  third  sandstone.  Several  large  pro- 
ducing wells  have  been  sunk  without  finding 
this  third  sandstone.  It  is,  however,  believed 
by  most  of  the  experienced  borers  that  the  great 
basins  are  yet  to  be  discovered  at  the  depth  of 
from  1500  to  3000  feet,  where  a never-failing 
supply  of  petroleum  will  be  reached.  It  is  be- 
lieved by  some  that  the  formation  of  petroleum 
is  still  rapidly  going  on  in  the  laboratories  of 
Nature,  and  that  enormous  quantities  of  car- 
bonated hydrogen  gas,  which  accompanies  the 
oil,  is  undoubtedly  evolved  in  its  formation,  and 
were  it  not  constantly  forming  would  soon  all 
escape,  and  flowing  wells  would  be  an  impossi- 
bility. It  is  impossible,  however,  to  fathom 
the  hidden  mysteries  of  the  petroleum  world  be- 
low. Astronomy  can  pierce  the  depths  of  space, 
but  Geology  can  only  guess  what  is  going  on  a 
few  thousand  yards  below  our  feet. 


HEED  6c  COGSWELL’S  RELIABLE  STEAM  PUMP. 


By  reference  to  the  above  cut  it  will  be  seen  that  special  care  has  been  taken  in  the  construction  of  this  pump  to 
guard  against  the  chief  causes  of  derangement  so  often  occurring  where  life  and  capital  are  involved.  First,  the  pis- 
tons are  connected  to  two  wheels  with  heavy  rims  which  give  a positive  motion,  and  so  regulating  and  controlling  all 
the  working  parts  that  the  pump  can  be  run  at  a very  low  speed  without  stopping,  as  is  desirable  in  feeding  boilers ; 
and  in  case  of  fire  or  leakage  in  a boat  a high  speed  may  be  attained  without  derangement  by  sudden  concussions,  as 
is  often  the  case  where  there  are  no  wheels  to  control  the  piston.  Another  desirable  feature  of  this  pump  is  the  con- 
struction of  the  water  valves  and  their  seats,  together  with  the  manner  of  getting  at  them  to  remove  sticks  or  other 
substances  which  are  liable  to  lodge  and  hold  the  valves  open.  The  four  valves  can  be  taken  out  by  removing  two  screws, 
and  the  whole  replaced  and  the  pump  put  in  operation  in  two  minutes.  These  improvements  are  the  result  of  a long 
experience  in  this  most  difficult  branch  of  mechanics.  These  pumps  have  been  in  operation  during  the  past  year  in  the 
Oil  Regions  of  Pennsylvania,  forcing  oil  over  mountains  a distance  of  six  miles  under  a pressure  of  600  pounds  to  the 
square  inch,  with  perfect  success.  A third  line  is  now  nearly  completed  of  nine  miles  length.  These  pumps  may  be 
seen  in  operation  at  the  Emporium  of  REED  & COGSWELL,  63  Liberty  Street,  New  York. 


The  exceeding  simplicity  of  this  engine  renders  it  second  to  none  for  portable  purposes,  especially  for  Mining,  Bor- 
ing and  Pumping  Oil  and  Salt  Wells.  Also,  for  Saw-Mills,  Quartz-Mills,  and  all  kinds  of  Manufacturing  where  en- 
gineering skill  and  repairs  are  difficult  to  obtain.  These  engines  have  been  in  use  for  the  above-named  purposes 
during  the  last  twelve  years , proving  their  superiority  over  other  engines  for  durability  and  economy. 


63  LIBERTY  STREET,  NEW  YORK 


THE 


ATLANTIC  AND  GREAT  WESTERN 

RAILWAY, 

Commencing  at  Salamanca,  where  connection  is  made  with 
the  Erie  Railway  from  and  to  all  Eastern  points,  extending  338 
miles  to  Dayton,  and  from  thence  over  the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton 
& Dayton  Road,  60  miles,  to  Cincinnati,  and  215  miles  from 
Salamanca  to  Cleveland,  with  its  numerous  and  important  con- 
nections with  other  lines  of  railway,  is  now  acknowledged  to  be 

THE  GREAT  THROUGH  ROUTE. 

It  will  be  seen,  by  an  inspection  of  the  accompanying  Map  and 
List  of  Stations,  that  its  connections  East  and  West  are  very  ex- 
tensive, affording  the  traveler  and  shipper  great  facilities  for 
communication. 

This  is  the  direct  line  between  Cincinnati,  Louisville,  Nash- 
ville, Indianapolis,  Cairo,  Memphis,  New  Orleans,  St.  Louis, 
and  Chicago  to  all  Eastern  cities. 

Close  connections  are  made  with  all  connecting  lines  going  East 
and  West ; and  the  facilities  for  transfer  are  unequaled.  To 
families  this  route  offers  superior  attractions  with  its  broad, 
roomy  cars,  and 

NO  CHANGE  FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  CINCINNATI  OR  CLEVELAND. 

The  cars  are  new,  perfectly  ventilated,  and  supplied  with  every 
convenience.  The  sleeping-cars  are  especially  commended,  and 
are  the  very  best  in  use. 

The  eating-houses,  and  the  meals  served  up  in  them,  are  all 
that  can  be  desired. 

Speed,  safety,  and  comfort  are  guaranteed  to  all  who  may 
travel  over  the  line 

FARE  AS  LOW  AS  BY  ANY  OTHER  ROUTE. 

BAGGAGE  CHECKED  THROUGH. 

Tickets  for  sale  at  all  principal  offices  East,  South,  and  West, 
and  at  the  following  offices  of  the  Company : 

New  York — No.  233  Broadway. 

Boston — No.  15  State  Street. 

Cleveland — Union  Office,  and  at  the  Atlantic  & Great  West- 
ern depot. 

Chicago — No.  66  Clark  Street. 

Cincinnati — No.  80  West  Fourth  Street,  northwest  corner 
Broadway  and  Front  Street,  and  at  the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton 
& Dayton  and  Atlantic  & Great  Western  depot. 


STEINWAY  & SONS’ 

GRAND,  SQUARE,  AND  UPRIGHT 

PIANO-FORTES 

Are  now*acknowledged  to  be  the  best  instruments  in  America  as  well  as  in  Europe,  having 
taken  Thirty-two  First  Premiums,  Gold  and  Silver  Medals,  at  the  principal  fairs  held  in  this 
country  within  the  last  ten  years,  and  in  addition  thereto  they  were  awarded  a First  Prize  Medal 
at  the  Great  International  Exhibition  in  London,  in  1862,  in  competition  with  two  hundred  and 
sixty-nine  pianos  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

Among  the  many  and  most  valuable  improvements  introduced  by  Messrs.  Steinway  & Sons 
in  their  Piano-Fortes  the  special  attention  of  purchasers  is  directed  to  their 

PATENT  AGRAFFE  ARRANGEMENT. 

The  value  and  importance  of  this  invention  having  been  practically  tested,  in  all  their  grand 
and  highest-priced  square  Piano-Fortes,  and  admitted  to  be  the  greatest  improvement  of  modern 
times,  they  now  announce  that  their  “Patent  Agraffe  Arrangement”  will  be  introduced  in 
every  Piano-Forte  manufactured  by  them,  without  increase  of  cost  to  the  purchaser,  in  order  that 
all  their  patrons  may  reap  the  full  advantage  of  this  great  improvement. 


Extract  from  the  Testimonial  of  the  most  distinguished  Artists  to  Steinway  & Sons. 

“Among  the  chief  points  of  the  uniform  excellence  of  the  Steinway  Pianos  are  : 

“ Greatest  possible  depth,  richness,  and  volume  of  tone,  combined  with  a rare  brilliancy,  clear- 
ness, and  perfect  evenness  throughout  the  entire  scale,  and,  above  all,  a surprising  duration  of 
sound,  the  pure  and  sympathetic  quality  of  which  never  changes  under  the  most  delicate  or  pow- 
erful touch. 

“We  therefore  consider  the  Steinway  Pianos  in  all  respects  the  best  instruments  made  in  this 
country  or  in  Europe,  use  them  solely  and  exclusively  ourselves  in  public  or  private,  and  recom- 
mend them  invariably  to  our  friends  and  the  public. 


“S.  B.  MILLS, 

ROBERT  GOLDBECK, 
HENRY  C.  TIMM, 
GEORGE  W.  MORGAN, 
THEO.  THOMAS, 


WILLIAM  MASON, 
ROBERT  HELLER, 
WILLIAM  BERGE, 
E.  MUZIO, 

CARL  ANSCHUTZ, 


A.  H.  PEASE, 

F.  L.  RITTER, 
THEO.  EISFELD, 

C.  BERGMANN, 
MAN.  MARETZEK,” 


AND  MANY  OTHERS. 


STEINWAY  & SONS’  WAREROOMS, 

71  AND  73  EAST  FOURTEENTH  STREET, 

BETWEEN  UNION  SQUARE  AND  IRVING  PLACE, 

NEW  YORK. 


RENO  OIL  AND  LAND  COMPANY, 

CAPITAL  STOCK,  $10,000,000 SHARES,  $100  EACH. 

STOCK  GUARANTEED 

By  deposit  of  One  Hundred  Dollars  (the  par  value  of  each  share)  for  every  share  of  guaranteed  stock  issued,  in  the 
hands  of  trustees,  to  be  by  them  placed  in  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States  or  invested  iu  Government  Securities , 
as  a pledge  for  each  Share’s  IMMEDIATE  REDEMPTION  AT  PAR,  thus  making  it  equivalent  to 

A LEGAL  TENDER  OIL  STOCK. 


President,  GALUSHA  A.  GROW.  Vice  President,  CHARLES  VERNON  CULVER. 

Secretary,  WILLIAM  BROUGH.  Treasurer,  ROBERT  F.  BROOKE. 

Directors : 

Hon.  GALUSHA  A.  GROW,  Reno,  Pa.,  late  Speaker  of  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives. 

Hon.  C.  R.  RANSOM,  Boston,  Mass.,  United  States  Bank  Commissioner  for  New  England. 

Hon!  SIDNEY  DEAN,  Providence,  R.  I.,  late  Member  of  Congress;  Editor  of  “ Providence  Press.” 

HENRY  A.  SMYTHE,  Esq.,  New  York  City,  President  of  the  Central  National  Bank  of  New  York. 

LUCIEN  H.  CULVER,  Esq.,  New  York  City,  of  Culver  Penn  & Co.,  Bankers. 

Hon.  AUGUSTUS  FRANK,  Warsaw,  N.  Y.,  Member  U.  S.  House  of  Representatives,  3Gth,  37th,  and  38th  Congresses. 
Major  JOHN  L.  WILSON,  Madison,  Ind  , late  of  the  United  States  Army. 

Hon.  THOMAS  STANFIELD,  South  Bend,  Ind.,  President  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  South  Bend. 

Hon.  CHARLES  VERNON  CULVER,  Franklin,  Pa.,  of  Culver,  Penn  & Co.,  and  Member  of  the  present  Congress. 
ALEXANDER  BRADLEY,  Esq.,  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  President  of  Tradesmen’s  National  Bank  of  Pittsburg. 

JOSHUA  DOUGLASS,  Esq.,  Meadville,  Pa.,  President  of  the  National  Bank  of  Crawford  County,  Pa. 

Colonel  JAMES  H.  BOWEN,  Chicago,  III.,  President  of  the  Third  National  Bank  of  Chicago. 

GEORGE  H.  REA,  Esq.,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  President  of  the  Second  National  Bank  of  St.  Louis. 


Trustees  of  the  Fund: 

Hon.  JOHN  J.  CISCO,  New  York  City,  of  John  J.  Cisco  & Son,  Bankers,  and  late  Asisstant  Treasurer  of  the 
United  States  at  New  York. 

DENNING  DUER,  Esq.,  New  York  City,  of  James  G.  King’s  Sons,  Bankers. 

The  Reno  Oil  and  Land  Company  own  Twelve  Hundred  Acres  of  Land  at  Reno,  Venango  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, the  centre  of  the  great  oil  district.  This  embraces  one  of  the  largest  estates  held  by  any  one  company  in  the 
Oil  Region,  and  includes  v 

The  Thriving  and  Beautiful  Town  of  Reno. 

The  lands  were  selected  some  years  since  by  Hon.  Charles  V.  Culver,  the  present  representative  in  Congress  from 
the  Venango  District,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  senior  member  of  the  Banking  House  of  Culver,  Penn  & Co.,  New  York 
City,  as  the  apparent  deposit  of  inexhaustible  supplies  of  oil,  and  the  site  best  adapted  for  building  the 
EMPORIUM  AND  METROPOLIS  OF  THE  OIL  REGIONS. 

This  Company  has  peculiar  and  extraordinary  advantages,  and  is  managed  upon  a basis  so  novel  and  fair  that  it 
combines  PROFIT  AND  SECURITY  AS  AN  INVESTMENT,  and  at  the  same  time  presents  unusual  opportunities 
of  gain. 

One  Thousand  Wells 

Can  be  sunk  upon  the  property  without  interfering  with  each  other,  as  there  are  four  miles  of  boring  territory ; and 
it  is  the  intention  to  sink  Three  Hundred  Wells  as  soon  as  practicable,  or  enough  to  thoroughly  develop  the  property. 
One  hundred  wells,  yielding  only  ten  barrels  a day  each,  at  six  dollars  a barrel — a price  much  below  the  average 
price  at  Reno — would  give  one  million  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars  a year  of’ income,  making  a profit  of  probably 
fifteen  per  cent,  over  expenses  and  taxes  of  every  kind.  If  large  flowing  wells  are  found,  a single  acre  of  the  terri- 
tory may  yield  the  entire  capital  within  two  years. 

Fifty  Wells  are  now  Going  Down, 

Under  the  personal  superintendence  of  Mr.  Grow,  the  President  of  the  Company,  who  is  at  Reno.  As  an  evidence 
of  the  great  value  of  the  Reno  oil  lands,  the  United  States  Revenue  Commission,  in  its  Report  to  the  Treasury  De- 
partment, February,  1S66,  showed  that  of  the  only  four  farms  in  Venango  which  had  every  well  producing  those  em- 
bracing the  Reno  estates  were  included.  A few  test-wells  have  only  been  sunk  on  the  farm. 

Every  Well  Producing  Oil 

In  paying  quantities.  The  town  of  Reno  is  now  the  principal  Petroleum  station  on  the  Atlantic  & Great  Western 
Railway,  the  terminus  of  the  Reno,  Oil  Creek  and  Pithole  Railway,  and  will  soon  be  the  intersecting  point  of  several 
roads  nowin  process  of  construction,  in  time  becoming  THE  GREAT  RAILWAY  CENTRE  OF  THE  PETROLEUM 
REGIONS — the  centre  of  freights,  and  business,  and  manufactures.  The  river  front  is  extremely  valuable,  being  a 
mile  and  a half  in  extent,  and  above  high-water  mark.  The  annual  freshets  can  not  wash  the  town  away.  The  prog- 
ress of  development  is  earnest  and  energetic,  lots  are  being  sold,  and  the  town  is  rapidly  growing.  Every  care  has 
been  taken  to  make  it  the  MOST  BEAUTIFUL  TOWN  IN  THE  PETROLEUM  COUNTRY.  The  sale  of  liquor  is 
prohibited  iu  all  leases.  Oil  mining  and  oil  refining  are  prevented;  streets  are  graded,  and  sites  set  apart  for  churches, 
schools,  and  public  buildings.  The  stock  of  thi3  Company 

Is  Guaranteed  against  Loss 

By  depositing  the  par  value  of  each  share  sold— one  hundred  dollars- in  the  hands  of  John  J.  Cisco,  late  Assistant 
Treasurer  of  the  United  States  at  New  York,  and  Denning  Duer,  Esq,,  Trustees,  to  be  by  them  deposited  in  the  Na- 
tional Treasury,  or  invested  in  Government  securities,  and  may  be 

Withdrawn  by  the  Stockholder  at  any  Time. 

This  security  makes  the  Reno  stock  one  of  the  safest  and  most  convenient  investments  in  America.  It  is  virtually 
a sight  draft  on  New  York,  or  a certificate  of  deposit,  and  may  be  used  as  collateral  on  a loan,  or  in  any  of  the  uses  of 
business  or  exchange.  It  might  be  called  in  every  respect  A LEGAL  TENDER  OIL  STOCK.  Each  full  paid  share 
of  guaranteed  stock  is  sold  at  one  hundred  and  five  dollars — one  hundred  dollars  as  par  value,  and  five  dollars  as  a 
contribution  to  the  working-fund.  This  fund  is 

The  Largest  Working-Fund  of  any  Company 

Ever  organized  in  America,  and  will  be  accepted  as  an  assurance  on  the  part  of  the  Company  that  they  make  PE- 
TROLEUM A BUSINESS  AND  NOT  A SPECULATION.  By  the  payment  of  ten  dollars  persons  desiring  to  await 
the  result  of  the  first  years  development  can  secure  the  right  or  option  of  obtaining  a full  paid  share  of  guaranteed 
stock,  by  the  payment  of  an  additional  one  hundred  dollars  at  any  time  while  the  books  are  open  before  April  1, 1867. 

The  Reno  stock  has  every  chance  of  great  profits,  and  is  always  convertible  into  cash  at  par. 

Subscriptions  will  be  received  by  agents,  and  by  the  principal  banks  and  bankers  throughout  the  country.  Pros- 
pectuses and  other  information  will  be  furnished  by  the  agents  and  by 

SAMUEL  T.  HOWARD,  General  Subscription  Agent,  21  Nassau  Street,  New  York. 


OIL  REGION 
of 

PENNSYLVANIA. 


